Sam Neill’s cause of death after Jurassic Park icon claimed he was ‘cancer free’

Sam Neill’s death was announced by his family on Monday as they share the svad news of his passing in Sydney Australia as tributes have flooded in.Jurassic Park star Sam Neill died after reportedly contracting pneumonia, a close friend and former co-star has revealed.The Northern Ireland born- New Zealand actor, best known for playing Dr Alan Grant, died on Monday, just months after he was deemed “cancer-free” following a battle with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma.

His loved ones describing his death as “sudden and unexpected” – and now a new report has suggested the 78-year-old succumbed to a bout of pneumonia after being left weakened by his gruelling cancer treatments.

Sam revealed in April that he was clear of the disease after being diagnosed with blood cancer four years ago.Pneumonia, an infection causing inflammation of the lung tissue, can make breathing difficult and in severe cases, it can be life-threatening by cutting off your air supply.

Neill starred in Taika Waititi’s 2016 comedy Hunt For the Wilderpeople alongside Rima Te Wiata, and she said the actor had a bout of pneumonia prior to his death.

In an interview with NZ Herald, she said: “It really sucks.

“I’m sure, as he said in the press once, he’s not scared of death, but he would be annoyed.

Neill starred in Taika Waititi’s 2016 comedy Hunt For the Wilderpeople alongside Rima Te Wiata, and she said the actor had a bout of pneumonia prior to his death.

In an interview with NZ Herald, she said: “It really sucks.

“I’m sure, as he said in the press once, he’s not scared of death, but he would be annoyed.

“He had compassion for his characters, even if they were awful. He knew how to understand things from their perspective.”

Sam’s former partner ex-partner Laura Tingle told ABC Radio Sydney the actor’s immune system had been compromised and it left him vulnerable to infections.

She said: “[His] poor old body just sort of got a bit exhausted. He’s been pretty sick for the last couple of weeks, and everybody who loved him has been willing him on from near and far, but I think it was just a bit too much to recover from one more time.He’d had a lot of chemo and a lot of immunotherapy and, thankfully, it finally cleared him of the blood cancer that he had, but that left him pretty compromised in terms of his immune system.”Sam’s death was announced by his family in a statement posted on his social media account, which read: “It is with immense sadness that the whanau [family] of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia.

Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life. The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free.”

In 2022, the star was diagnosed with stage three angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, which is a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, after he began to experience swollen glands. He found out about as his stage-three blood cancer while he promoted Jurassic World Dominion.

The Northern Ireland-born New Zealand actor, best known for playing Dr Alan Grant in the blockbuster dinosaur franchise, starred alongide Laura Dern in the 1993 film. Laura played his romantic interest, paleobotanist Ellie Sattler, and she paid tribute with a sweet thowback image of the pair in the initial movie.

In a heart-breaking caption, she wrote: “Sam was my beloved lifetime friend… He showed me the depths of loyalty, protectiveness, and love, always with the driest of wit. He was a true and noble gentleman, wrapped up in my dream leading man. I will love you forever, Dr. Alan Grant.”

Their co-star Jeff Goldblum, who play Ian Malcolm, shared several images from across the film franchise and a message that read: “The next great adventure begins. Love, always and forever.”

Jurassic Park child star Joseph Mazzello called Sam Neill’s death a “gut punch” with the film’s director Steven Spielberg saying on Amblin Entertainment’s Instagram page: “Sam was exceptionally collaborative. It was a stretch for him to play a character who acted as though children were messy and smelly because this was the opposite of the loving father he was to his children. I adored making all the Jurassic movies with him.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to the star, saying: “Sam Neill starred in so many beloved Australian stories and he earned a special place in Australian hearts. 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.”

Singer Kylie Minogue also paid tribute. She posted “vale Sam” under the announcement of his death on Instagram, while Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley posted a simple heart emoji.