Sam Neill was cancer-free when pneumonia ended his life, family confirms ahead of quiet New Zealand funeral

Actor Sam Neill died on July 13 in Sydney, Australia. He was 78 years old. His family confirmed the news in a statement posted to his official Instagram account. The statement described his death as sudden and unexpected.

The family said Neill remained cancer free at the time of his death. They thanked the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital for his care. The statement said Neill was surrounded by family when he died. It added that he passed with the dignity that marked his whole life. The family asked for privacy and said more details would follow later.

Advertisement

Cause of death

The family did not name an official cause of death in their statement. Neill’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople co-star Rima Te Wiata later told the New Zealand Herald that Neill had pneumonia before he died. Te Wiata said his cancer treatment had weakened his immune system. She said Neill would have found it frustrating to survive cancer only to die from pneumonia.

Neill’s former partner, journalist Laura Tingle, also spoke about his final weeks. She told ABC Radio Sydney that Neill had been very sick for about two weeks before his death. She said his body had become exhausted after years of chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

Cancer battle

Neill was diagnosed with stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma in 2022. This is a rare form of blood cancer. He first noticed swollen glands during the press tour for Jurassic World Dominion. He wrote about his diagnosis in his memoir, Did I Ever Tell You This?, published in 2023.

Neill underwent years of chemotherapy. He later received an experimental treatment called CAR T-cell therapy. In April 2026, he announced he was cancer free. He said a recent scan showed no cancer in his body.

Funeral plans

A source told TMZ that Neill’s family will hold a private service for family and friends in New Zealand. The source said there will be no public service or celebration of life. The source added that Neill never wanted a big fuss made about him and that his family plans to honor that wish.

Life and career

Neill was born in Northern Ireland in 1947. His family moved to New Zealand when he was seven. He built a five-decade career in film and television. His best known role was paleontologist Alan Grant in Jurassic Park. He also starred in The Piano, The Hunt for Red October, and Peaky Blinders.

Outside acting, Neill ran a winery called Two Paddocks in the Central Otago region of New Zealand’s South Island. He founded it in 1993. He often posted about the farm animals there, many of which were named after his celebrity friends.