{"id":7588,"date":"2026-07-16T11:28:49","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T06:28:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=7588"},"modified":"2026-07-16T11:28:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T06:28:49","slug":"sam-neills-cause-of-death-aged-78-confirmed-as-pneumonia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=7588","title":{"rendered":"Sam Neill&#8217;s cause of death aged 78 confirmed as pneumonia"},"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<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305071668-b4b7.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29122002\" alt=\"GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 07: Sam Neill attends the 2025 AACTA Awards Presented By Foxtel Group at HOTA (Home of the Arts) on February 07, 2025 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde\/Getty Images for AFI)\" decoding=\"sync\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Sam Neill died of pneumonia months after declaring he was \u2018cancer free\u2019 (Picture: Chris Hyde\/Getty Images for AFI)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/sam-neill\/\">Sam Neill<\/a>\u2019s cause of death at age 78 has been confirmed as pneumonia, according to a new statement from his representatives.<\/p>\n<p>Philip Grenz, Neill\u2019s manager, told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2026\/07\/15\/jurassic-park-star-sam-neill-cause-of-death-revealed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TMZ<\/a> he had died after undergoing \u2018a new treatment\u2019, CAR-T therapy, to \u2018valiantly\u2019 tackle his lymphoma.<\/p>\n<p>Neill, best known for\u00a0<a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/13\/sam-neills-movies-show-versatile-beyond-just-jurassic-park-29123127\/\">starring in Jurassic Park<\/a>, had declared he was \u2018cancer-free\u2019 just months before.<\/p>\n<p>In their heartbreaking announcement, his family said the <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/13\/beloved-jurassic-park-star-sam-neill-dies-aged-78-months-declared-cancer-free-29121999\/\">beloved actor had died \u2018unexpectedly\u2019<\/a> but \u2018with the dignity that had characterised his whole life\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>The statement shared that \u2018the loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained\u00a0cancer-free.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>It was his Hunt for the Wilderpeople co-star Rima Te Waita who originally confirmed the pneumonia while speaking to the New Zealand Herald.<\/p>\n<p>She said Neill would likely have been \u2018annoyed\u2019 by death rather than afraid, adding that it \u2018really sucks, actually\u2019.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"430\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_140838995-d32b.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29122005\" alt=\"SITGES, SPAIN - OCTOBER 11: Actor Sam Neill attends a press conference during day 9 of the 52nd edition of the Sitges Fantastic Film Festival on October 11, 2019 in Sitges, Spain. (Photo by Borja B. Hojas\/Getty Images) 11651787\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>His co-star first shared the news that he had been ill with pneumonia (Picture: Borja B. Hojas\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305081840-16c5.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29123539\" alt=\"Editorial use only. No book cover usage. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Piki Films\/Kobal\/Shutterstock (9702845c) Sam Neill \" hunt=\"\" for=\"\" the=\"\" wilderpeople=\"\" film=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>It\u2019s the 10-year anniversary of Hunt for the Wilderpeople next month (Picture: Piki Films\/Kobal\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On the Ryan Bridge Today Show, the Kiwi actress added: \u2018I think he would be like: \u201cFor goodness sake, I got over my <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/cancer\/\">cancer<\/a>. And now look, now I get pneumonia. What next?\u201d.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Te Waita echoed comments Neill had made to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/film\/2023\/mar\/17\/sam-neill-cancer-memoir-interview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Guardian<\/a>\u00a0in 2023, when he said: \u2018I\u2019m not afraid to die, but it would annoy me. Because I\u2019d really like another decade or two, you know?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>She didn\u2019t share any more information but said he was \u2018on his big journey now\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>Neill\u2019s ex-girlfriend, Laura Tingle, also shared that he had been \u2018pretty sick\u2019 for the last few weeks while on ABC Radio Sydney.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Everybody 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,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"516\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305081754-a597.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29123570\" alt=\"Editorial use only. No book cover usage. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Andrew Macpherson\/Paramount\/Kobal\/Shutterstock (5881409e) Sam Neill Event Horizon - 1997 Director: Paul W.S. Anderson Paramount USA Scene Still Scifi Event Horizon: Le Vaisseau de l'au-del?\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Neill had been through chemotherapy leaving his immune system \u2018compromised'(Picture: Paramount\/Kobal\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u2018He\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.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/13\/sam-neills-tearful-assembly-interview-one-tvs-beautiful-moments-29124929\/\">Neill<\/a>\u00a0was diagnosed with stage three angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, four years ago, and publicly shared his diagnosis in March 2023 as he took a break from acting.<\/p>\n<p>In April this year, he announced he was cancer-free and\u00a0<a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/02\/08\/sam-neill-high-spirits-major-public-appearance-amid-blood-cancer-treatment-22522146\/\">was returning to work<\/a>, set to star in Godzilla x Kong: Supernova and The Last Resort next year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Greenz added that there would be a private family and friends ceremony would be held at his New Zealand farm but there are no plans for a public memorial.<\/p>\n<p>He said as Neill \u2018never wanted a big fuss to be made about him in life\u2019, they are honouring that in death.<\/p>\n<p>Fans wishing to send their condolences have been urged to donate to causes he cared about, such as the Dunstan Hospital Foundation, The Snowdome Foundation or New Zealand wildlife charities.<\/p>\n<p><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/13\/sam-neills-tearful-assembly-interview-one-tvs-beautiful-moments-29124929\/\">His popularity was evident<\/a> in the number of co-stars, industry heavyweights, and fans who shared tributes over the weekend.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\"\/>\n<p><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/cillian-murphy\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\">Cillian Murphy<\/a>, who remained friends with Neill after wrapping Peaky Blinders, shared a tribute with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/07\/cillian-murphy-tribute-peaky-blinders-sam-neill-1236980725\/\">Deadline<\/a>: \u2018Like everyone who knew and worked with Sam, I admired him and adored him in equal measure. He was one of the kindest, funniest and gentlest people and one of the finest actors. RIP.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Legendary Jurassic Park director Steven Spielberg told\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2026\/film\/news\/steven-spielberg-mourns-sam-neill-jurassic-park-1236809406\/\">Variety<\/a>: \u2018Sam 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.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>He added: \u2018I adored making all the Jurassic movies with him.\u00a0Along with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our Jurassic family, and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world.\u2019<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305074521-4146.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29122347\" alt=\"Editorial use only. No book cover usage. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Moviestore\/Shutterstock (1569566a) Jurassic Park, Laura Dern, Sam Neill Film and Television\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>He is best remembered as Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park (Picture: Moviestore\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Dern also called him her \u2018beloved lifetime friend\u2019 and a \u2018true, noble gentleman\u2019, as well as a \u2018dream leading man\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>Neill\u2019s extensive career included Attack Force Z\u00a0(1982), Dead Calm\u00a0(1989),\u00a0Death in Brunswick\u00a0(1990),\u00a0The Hunt for Red October\u00a0(1990),\u00a0The Piano\u00a0(1993),\u00a0In the Mouth of Madness\u00a0(1994), and\u00a0Event Horizon\u00a0(1997).<\/p>\n<p>He is best remembered as Dr. Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park franchise, appearing in the original as well as\u00a0Jurassic Park III\u00a0(2001) and\u00a0Jurassic World Dominion\u00a0(2022), the latter of which also featured original co-stars Dern and\u00a0<a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/jeff-goldblum\/\">Jeff Goldblum<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/15\/alec-baldwins-sam-neill-tribute-oddest-thing-watch-today-29144138\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">Alec Baldwin\u2019s Sam Neill tribute is the oddest thing you\u2019ll watch today<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/15\/morbid-angel-drummer-death-metal-legend-mike-browning-dies-aged-62-29142351\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">Morbid Angel founder and death metal legend Mike Browning dies aged 62<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/14\/catherine-ohara-bonnie-tyler-24-celebrities-died-2026-29124740\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">From Catherine O\u2019Hara to Bonnie Tyler \u2014 24 celebrities who have died in 2026<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<section id=\"share-buttons-bottom\" class=\"share-buttons share-buttons-bottom\"><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-comments\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span><svg><title>Comment now<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#social-comment\" href=\"#social-comment\"\/><\/svg><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-comments__label\">Comments<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" class=\"metro-button share-bar-preferred-source\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span><svg><title>Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#social-preferred-source\" href=\"#social-preferred-source\"\/><\/svg><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-preferred-source__label\">Add as preferred source<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a><\/section>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sam Neill died of pneumonia months after declaring he was \u2018cancer free\u2019 (Picture: Chris Hyde\/Getty Images for AFI) Sam Neill\u2019s cause of death at age 78 has been confirmed as pneumonia, according to a new statement from his representatives. Philip Grenz, Neill\u2019s manager, told TMZ he had died after undergoing \u2018a new treatment\u2019, CAR-T therapy,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7589,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305071668-b4b7_1784179125.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200&h=630&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7588","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=7588"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7588\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7589"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}