Sam Neill, 'Jurassic Park' Star, Dies at 78

New Zealand actor Sam Neill has died, with his family confirming the news through a statement released following his passing.

Neill died on Monday, July 13, in Sydney, Australia, at the age of 78.

In a statement shared with media outlets, his family expressed their grief while providing details about his final moments. "It is with immense sadness that the whānau [family] 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," the statement read. "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."

The family requested privacy during this time, noting that additional information would be shared at a later date.

Neill had announced in April that he achieved cancer-free status following CAR T-cell therapy treatment. He had initially received a stage three blood cancer diagnosis in March 2022.

The actor's most iconic role came as Dr. Alan Grant in the original Jurassic Park trilogy. He returned to the franchise in 2022 for Jurassic World Dominion. Earlier this year, Neill appeared alongside Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern in a Super Bowl advertisement for Xfinity.

More recently, Neill took on roles in the television series The Twelve, Untamed, and Apples Never Fall.

Two posthumous film releases featuring Neill are currently in development. He appears in The Last Resort, which also stars Daisy Ridley, Alden Ehrenreich, and other cast members. He also completed work on Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, featuring Dan Stevens, Kaitlyn Dever, Jack O'Connell, and Delroy Lindo, among others.