Jurassic Park star Sam Neill cause of death revealed

Sam Neill, the acclaimed actor best known for his role as Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park, died from pneumonia, his agent has confirmed.

Neill, who was 78, died this week in Sydney, Australia, with his family announcing his death on Monday. His agent, Philip Grenz, said he was releasing further details after reports about the actor’s passing contained “inaccuracies and outright falsehoods.”

“Sam passed away from pneumonia,” Grenz said, adding that Neill had previously fought and overcome a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma through CAR-T therapy.

Neill revealed in 2023 that he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of blood cancer. He later announced that he was in remission in April.

His family had earlier stated that the actor “remained cancer free” when he died, describing his death as “sudden and unexpected.”

Grenz said Neill, who was known for keeping his personal life private, would be remembered with a private family memorial service at his farm in New Zealand at a later date.

The actor had continued working until his death, with his agent revealing that he filmed four projects back-to-back in the past year, which are expected to be released in the coming months.

Neill’s death sparked tributes from colleagues across the film industry, who remembered him as a talented actor, a kind colleague and a man known for his wit and curiosity.

Director Steven Spielberg, who worked with Neill on the first Jurassic Park film, praised the actor’s contribution to the franchise.

“I adored making all the Jurassic movies with him,” Spielberg said. “Along with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our Jurassic family and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world.”

Director Taika Waititi, who worked with Neill on Hunt for the Wilderpeople, also paid tribute, describing the actor with affection and saying he would be deeply missed.

Born in Northern Ireland and raised in New Zealand, Neill became one of the most recognised actors from the wave of Australian and New Zealand cinema that gained global attention from the late 1970s.

Beyond acting, Neill was also a winemaker and produced pinot noir and riesling under his Two Paddocks brand in New Zealand’s Central Otago region.

He is survived by his four children and eight grandchildren.