Sam Neill, the veteran Hollywood actor from New Zealand who died on July 13 at age 78 years, passed away after a bout with pneumonia.
His longtime agent, Philip Grenz, confirmed the cause of death to The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday to put an end to online misinformation around Neill’s passing.
“Since Sam Neill’s passing, several stories have appeared in the media which contain inaccuracies and outright falsehoods. As Sam Neill’s longtime rep, I spoke with his family and wish to clarify some details for his fans. Sam passed away from pneumonia. Prior to becoming sick, Sam had valiantly fought and beaten lymphoma through a new treatment called CAR-T therapy,” his statement said.
The Hollywood leading man before his death made his mark in such films as Jurassic Park, The Piano, Dead Calm and In the Mouth of Madness. Grenz revealed Neill had filmed four projects back-to-back during in the last year, all of which will be released in the coming months.
“As Sam was an intensely private man who loathed a fuss, his family will honor him with a private family memorial at his farm in New Zealand at a still-undetermined later date,” he added.
In lieu of flowers, Neill’s family asks that donations be made to either The Dunstan Hospital Foundation, The Snowdome Foundation, of which Neill was a patron, or a New Zealand charity or fund that supports the sustainability, protection and preservation of New Zealand’s wildlife and wildlands like NZ Nature Fund and Sustainable Tarras.
The news of Neill’s passing was earlier shared on the actor’s official Instagram account.
“It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia,” the post read. “Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterized his whole life. The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free. They would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital for their incredible care. More details will be shared later, but for now, on behalf of the family, we ask that you respect their privacy as they navigate this immeasurable loss.”