Sam Neill, known for his roles in the Jurassic Park films, died from pneumonia, a representative for the actor said in a statement on Wednesday.
Neill died Monday at 78.
“Sam passed away from pneumonia,” the statement from manager Philip Grenz said. “Prior to becoming sick, Sam had valiantly fought and beaten lymphoma through a new treatment called CAR-T therapy.”
A statement earlier this week announcing his death said: “Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life. The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free.”
The representative said Neill, who was also known for his role on Peaky Blinders, had filmed four projects in the past year, all of which would be released in the coming months.
Neill revealed he was being treated for stage 3 blood cancer while promoting his memoir, Did I Ever Tell You This?, in March 2023.
In 2022, Neill was diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, “a rare, often but not always, aggressive (fast-growing) form of peripheral T-cell lymphoma,” according to the Lymphoma Research Foundation.
The statement Wednesday said the family would hold a private memorial.
“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,” the statement said.
