{"id":6033,"date":"2026-07-14T16:45:43","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T11:45:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=6033"},"modified":"2026-07-14T16:45:43","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T11:45:43","slug":"sam-neill-had-pneumonia-before-his-death-co-star-says-as-tributes-pour-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=6033","title":{"rendered":"Sam Neill had pneumonia before his death, co-star says, as tributes pour in"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p id=\"anchor-bd32c4\" class=\"body-graf\">Sam Neill, the acclaimed New Zealand actor, was suffering from pneumonia before his death on Monday, according to a co-star.  <\/p>\n<p><button class=\"styles_subscriptionCTA__LOUeY\" id=\"subscriptionCTA\" type=\"button\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,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\" alt=\"NBC News Icon\" class=\"styles_icon__wRwWv\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"styles_textWrapper__vxvko\">\n<p class=\"styles_text__daaVB styles_textLarge__qlzwu\">Subscribe to read this story ad-free<\/p>\n<p class=\"styles_text__daaVB\">Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/rockcms\/2026-01\/arrow-f55fa5.svg\" alt=\"arrow\" class=\"styles_arrow__tnruW\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/button><\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-1a7534\" class=\"body-graf\">Fellow Kiwi actor Rima Te Wiata, who appeared opposite Neill in the 2016<strong> <\/strong>comedy \u201cHunt for the Wilderpeople,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nzherald.co.nz\/nz\/sir-sam-neill-had-pneumonia-before-death-in-sydney-co-star-says\/NRSRGK45RBCMXHPMWKSTJ6HZIQ\/\" target=\"_blank\">told the New Zealand Herald<\/a> that Neill was not scared of dying but that he would be \u201cannoyed\u201d by it. <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-a4d55e\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cIt really sucks, actually,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wAzlnbUhCrA&amp;index=11\" target=\"_blank\">she told the outlet\u2019s video show \u2018<\/a>Ryan Bridge TODAY.\u2019 <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-184603\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cI think he would be like: \u2018For goodness sake, I got over my cancer. And now look, now I get pneumonia. What next?\u2019.\u201d But she added: \u201cHe\u2019s on his big journey now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-286478\" class=\"body-graf\">Te Wiata did not offer any more detail and it was unclear how recently Neill may have been sick with pneumonia.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-6b9922\" class=\"body-graf\">Neill\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/obituaries\/sam-neill-actor-jurassic-park-dies-new-zealand-rcna587240\" target=\"_blank\">family announced his death at age 78 on Monday. <\/a>\u201cThe loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free,\u201d the family <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DauK0SrT6uJ\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==\" target=\"_blank\">said in a statement, <\/a>which did not specify a cause of death. <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-accd19\" class=\"body-graf\">In 2023, Neill wrote in his memoi<strong>r <\/strong>\u201cDid I Ever Tell You This?\u201d that he was \u201cpossibly dying\u201d with stage-three non-Hodgkin lymphoma. But he declared himself cancer-free in April, after several years of treatment for blood cancer.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__FvnTh styles_medium__MEKii\" id=\"anchor-5f3768\"><picture class=\"styles_image__i32F7\" data-testid=\"picture\" data-flavor=\"fit\" data-original-height=\"1666\" data-original-width=\"2500\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2026-07\/260713-sam-neill-rs-727046.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-07\/260713-sam-neill-rs-727046.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2026-07\/260713-sam-neill-rs-727046.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-07\/260713-sam-neill-rs-727046.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-07\/260713-sam-neill-rs-727046.jpg\" alt=\"Jurassic Park\" height=\"1666\" width=\"2500\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__TCewG\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">Sam Neill as Dr. Alan Gran in &#8220;Jurassic Park&#8221; in 1993. <\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Murray Close \/ Getty Images file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"anchor-121547\" class=\"body-graf\">Tributes have poured in globally for Neill, who was best known for his role playing paleontologist Alan Grant in <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/jurassic-world-rebirth-david-koepp-0251484dd44300ee64b9436a2af75a59\">\u201cJurassic Park\u201d in 1993, alongside actors<\/a> Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-a46602\" class=\"body-graf\">Dern called him a \u201cbeloved lifetime friend,\u201d in a tribute on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/lauradern\/p\/Dav6Nv1EtyC\" target=\"_blank\">Instagram<\/a>. \u201cHe was a true and noble gentleman, wrapped up in my dream leading man. I will love you forever, Dr. Alan Grant.\u201d <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-18a7b6\" class=\"body-graf\">Goldblum <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DavlWVyFJn0\/?hl=en&amp;img_index=4\" target=\"_blank\">said <\/a>simply: \u201cThe next great adventure begins.\u201d <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-ddb1d7\" class=\"body-graf\">Director Steven Spielberg said he \u201cadored making all the Jurassic movies with him &#8230; We will always have our Jurassic family and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-f5d324\" class=\"body-graf\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DauqMNpB5KC\/\" target=\"_blank\">Laura Tingle, a journalist for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation <\/a>\u2014 who dated Neill for several years \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skynews.com.au\/lifestyle\/celebrity-life\/his-poor-body-sam-neills-ex-laura-tingle-opens-up-about-jurassic-park-stars-final-weeks-before-sudden-death-aged-78\/news-story\/6d019a4af06c0c0e9f25d51bf77d0a0a\" target=\"_blank\">told ABC Radio Sydney <\/a>on Monday, \u201chis poor old body just sort of got a bit exhausted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-03d3ff\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cHe\u2019s 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,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-6914a3\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cHe\u2019d 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,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<section class=\"inline-video inline-video--in-body inline-video--vertical-video\" data-testid=\"inline-video\" id=\"anchor-170e4c\">\n<div class=\"inline-video__background\">\n<div class=\"inline-video__player\">\n<div class=\"styles_gridStackWrapper__Z_AMc styles_verticalVideoContainer__AndXW vertical-video-container inline-article-vertical-video paused\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-testid=\"gamma-video-player\">\n<div class=\"info-layer styles_infoLayer__3khlf\">\n<p><span class=\"styles_caret__Aqe2z icon icon-play\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-testid=\"caret\"\/><span data-testid=\"card-duration\">01:33<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"styles_controlContainer__XmNB0 styles_inlineVideo__unIwH\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"Video controls\">\n<p class=\"styles_title__0GjQf styles_inlineVideoInitial__c2yet\">Sam Neill, best known for &#8216;Jurassic Park,&#8221; dies at 78<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"styles_gradientOverlay__6My_d\"\/><\/p>\n<p><span aria-label=\"Elapsed time 00:00\">00:00<\/span><span aria-label=\"Remaining time 00:00\">00:00<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p id=\"anchor-433b2f\" class=\"body-graf\">Neill had more than 150 screen credits, including \u201cThe Hunt for Red October,\u201d \u201cThe Piano,\u201d \u201cEvent Horizon\u201d and \u201cMerlin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-df5bb4\" class=\"body-graf\">In the 2010s, Neill took up a role in the acclaimed British drama series \u201cPeaky Blinders.\u201d His co-star Cillian Murphy said that \u201clike everyone who knew and worked with Sam, I admired him and adored him in equal measure.\u201d <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-b09e35\" class=\"body-graf\">Murphy said Neill was \u201cone of the kindest, funniest and gentlest people, and one of the finest actors \u2026 RIP.\u201d <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-6c479d\" class=\"body-graf\">Nicole Kidman also paid tribute, calling Neill \u201cone of the greats, a joy to be around,\u201d she said. \u201cWe met when I was just 18 and he took me under his wing and we stayed friends for life. He was charming, kind, funny and intelligent,\u201d she said in a statement to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/culture\/movies\/sam-neill-dead-reports-20260713-p60ey2.html\">Sydney Morning Herald<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-0f01ed\" class=\"endmark body-graf\">Neill was born in Omagh, Northern Ireland, in 1947. In the early 1950s, he relocated to New Zealand with his family. In 2022 he accepted a knighthood in the New Zealand royal honors system.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sam Neill, the acclaimed New Zealand actor, was suffering from pneumonia before his death on Monday, according to a co-star. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. Fellow Kiwi actor Rima Te Wiata, who appeared opposite Neill in the 2016 comedy \u201cHunt for the Wilderpeople,\u201d told the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_nbcnews-fp-1200-630,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-07\/260714-sam-neill-rs-902172.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6033"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6033\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}