Days after the news of actor Sam Neill's death, the international press now release the cause of his death. His representative revealed that the artist died of pneumonia at the age of 78.
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16/07/2026
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Jthe cause of Sam Neill's death is known. The actor died of pneumonia at the age of 78, as confirmed by his representative through a statement quoted by People.
“ Before getting sick, Sam fought courageously and won a lymphoma through a new treatment called CAR-T therapy ", said the representative of the actor in the press release sent to the magazine.
Remember that Sam Neill had been diagnosed with lymphoma Angioimmunoblastic T, a rare type of blood cancer.
In the last year, the representative said, the actor of “Jurassic Park” filmed four projects while managing at the same time his wine production, Two Paddocks.
It is also known that a private funeral ceremony will be held with the family on their farm in New Zealand, but the date has not yet been determined.
“I would like to thank those who were truly close to Sam for respecting his privacy with the respect he deserved and that his loved ones need and deserve during this very difficult time,” he added.
Before finishing, he also said that instead of sending flowers, fans can make donations to the causes that the actor advocated, including Dunstan Hospital Foundation, Snowdome Foundation, New Zealand Nature Fund and Sustainable Tarras.
What is CAR-T therapy?
According to the website of Portuguese Association Against Leukemia, “cell treatment T with chimeric antigen (CAR) receptors is an individualised form of treatment that can be administered to patients with some types of lymphoma, acute lymphocytic leukaemia and multiple myeloma.
This cell treatment CAR-T is a form of immunotherapy, which means that it uses the patient’s own immune system to fight cancer. Unlike other types of oncologic treatment, it is produced from T lymphocytes (T cells) that are part of white blood cells.
The cells T aims to identify and eliminate bacteria, viruses and tumor cells. However, in some cases, tumor cells can hide themselves from T cells, which makes it difficult for the patient’s body to eliminate cancer”.
The death of Sam Neill and the reactions
Sam Neill died on Monday, July 13, in Sydney, and “was surrounded by the family,” as was reported by his loved ones at the time when they publicly disclosed the news of his sharing.
“He died with the dignity that characterized his whole life. The loss was sudden and unexpected, but blessed that Sam remained cancer-free. The family would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital for the incredible care,” they added in the same statement, asking for “respect for privacy” at this delicate time.
On social networks there were many tributes made to the artist after the news of his sharing, including the words of Nuno Markl, who published on Instagram shortly after the actor's family confirmed his departure.
“ The longing I'm going to miss Sam Neill is beyond the actor's loss. He made some essential films of my life. [...] The longing I will have of him comes much from his calm, sweet, gentle and human presence in this net. Finding each new post by Neill, enjoying the peace and friendship with the animals of his farm, was one of those balms that left no doubt about how good and decent this man should be”, can be read in the message of the Animator of Commercial Radio.
Actress Laura Dern, who met the actor in Jurassic Park, was also one of many other known faces who reacted publicly. “I will love you forever, Dr. Alan Grant”, you can read at the end of your message in which you affectionately remember your colleague and friends.
The director of Jurassic Park, Steven Spielberg, or 73-year-old actor Jeff Goldblum, were other of the names that were publicly expressed.
In turn, Sam Neill's ex-girlfriend, ABC journalist Laura Tingle, explained that although the actor managed to get rid of cancer, Sam Neill got “his poor exhausted body.”.
“ He was quite ill in recent weeks, and everyone who was close and loved him was rooting for him, but I think it was too much to be able to recover once more,” Laura Tingle said.