Sam Neill has died at the age of 78 after revealing he was ‘cancer-free’ just months ago following his long battle with the disease.
The Kiwi actor’s family announced his death on Monday afternoon in a heartbreaking statement, revealing the Jurassic Park star’s passing was ‘sudden and unexpected’.
‘It is with immense sadness that the whānau 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,’ they said.
‘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.’
In April, Neill, who is best known for playing Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park franchise, announced he was cancer-free as he opened up about his five-year battle with stage-three blood cancer in a new interview with Australian network 7 News.
Sam Neill has died at the age of 78 after revealing he was ‘cancer–free’ just months ago following his long battle with the disease
He detailed how close he came to death after chemotherapy stopped working as he revealed the costly cutting-edge treatment which saved his life.
Neill said: ‘I’ve been living with a particular type of lymphoma for about five years and I was on chemotherapy and the pretty miserable business, but it was keeping me alive.
‘Then the chemo stopped working. I was at a loss and it looked like I was on the way out, which wasn’t ideal obviously.’
Neill, who is best known for playing Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park franchise, said he was cancer-free thanks to a cutting-edge treatment – called CAR T-cell therapy -which genetically modifies blood cells and privately costs around $540,000
‘I’ve just had a scan just now and there is no cancer in my body, that’s an extraordinary thing. I’m very, very excited that this can happen,’ he said.
Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a personalized immunotherapy that genetically modifies a patient’s own T-cells to recognize and destroy cancer cells, primarily used for blood cancers according to the National Cancer Institute.
The treatment is currently in clinical trials to treat another blood cancer, myeloma.
Neill also said he was planning to make a return to acting.
‘It’s time I did another movie,’ he said.
Neill first went public with his cancer diagnosis in 2023 after being diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma the previous year after initially experiencing swollen glands.
He found out about as his stage-three blood cancer while he promoted Jurassic World Dominion in 2022.
In that film he reprised his role as Grant alongside original co-stars Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum alongside Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.
He told Australian Story at the time: ‘I’m not in any way frightened of dying. That doesn’t worry me. It’s never worried me from the beginning, but I would be annoyed.
‘I’d be annoyed because there are things I still want to do. Very irritating, dying. But I’m not afraid of it.’
Neill first disclosed the news of his illness in his memoir, Did I Ever Tell You This, where he writes in the first chapter that he is ‘possibly dying’.
Neill’s specific ailment was diagnosed as angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma.
Symptoms can include having a high fever, night sweats, skin rash, and autoimmune disorders.
Reflecting on life at the time, the seasoned actor once again said that he did not fear death, admitting, ‘I’m not afraid to die. But it would annoy me. Because I’d really like another decade or two, you know?’
‘We’ve built all these lovely terraces, we’ve got these olive trees and cypresses, and I want to be around to see it all mature. And I’ve got my lovely little grandchildren. I want to see them get big.
‘But as for the dying? I couldn’t care less.’
The star was married to Japanese makeup artist Noriko Watanabe from 1989-2017 and they share two children- Elena, 35, and Tim, 43.
Neill starred in three Jurassic Park films including the original in 1993, Jurassic Park III in 2001, and Jurassic World Dominion in 2022.
Read the full article here
