Jurassic Park star Sam Neill dies, aged 78
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Neill had announced in April that he was cancer-free after undergoing treatment for stage-three blood cancer.
PHOTO: REUTERS
WELLINGTON – Jurassic Park star Sam Neill died suddenly on July 13, aged 78, after recovering from cancer, his family said in a statement on the same day.
“The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free,” a statement posted on Neill’s Instagram page said.
Neill died in Sydney, with his family paying tribute to a private hospital in the city for its care.
The New Zealand actor, who starred as Dr Alan Grant in the 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park, revealed in a 2023 memoir he was “possibly dying” with stage-three non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
However, he announced in April that he was cancer-free after undergoing treatment for stage-three blood cancer.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a social media post: “Wry and dry, thoughtful and laconic, Sam fought illness with the same dignity, humour and conviction that gave strength to his every performance.
“He will be much mourned and long remembered. May he rest in peace.”
Neill’s acting career began in the 1970s and spanned dozens of roles in TV and film, including Peaky Blinders, The Hunt for Red October and The Piano.
When he was not acting, Neill also ran vineyards in the picturesque Central Otago region of New Zealand’s South Island. REUTERS, AFP
