Hollywood veteran actor Sam Neill, who lives on in the hearts of movie fans worldwide as an eternal hero from the Jurassic Park series, has died at the age of 78. As the world mourns his sudden death, the specific cause of death and the bereaved family's mourning plans have been disclosed.
On the 15th (local time), foreign media including People reported that a Spokesperson said in an official statement, "Sam Neill peacefully passed away on the 13th at a hospital in Sydney, Australia, with his family at his side," adding, "the cause of death was pneumonia."
The Spokesperson added, "Before his passing, Sam Neill bravely overcame lymphoma (blood cancer) and was declared cured through a new treatment called "CAR-T cell therapy,"" expressing deep sorrow. Although he had overcome the cancer, he ultimately could not overcome the pneumonia that suddenly developed due to a weakened immune system during the treatment process.
In particular, the Spokesperson said, "In the last 12 months before his death, the deceased ran his private winery in New Zealand while consecutively filming as many as four projects, igniting an unflagging passion for life and art," honoring the deceased's intense and beautiful final pursuits.
The bereaved family also issued a tearful statement on social media. They bowed their heads and said, "Sam's loss came so suddenly and unexpectedly, but we take great comfort in knowing he was in a healthy, cancer-free state until the end," adding, "He departed with dignity, accompanied by his family, just as he had shown throughout his life. We earnestly ask that you respect the privacy of the bereaved family who are undergoing great sorrow."
Sam Neill's family asked that, instead of wreaths or floral gifts, donations be made to charities the deceased cherished during his life, such as the Dunstan Hospital Foundation, the Snowdome Foundation and the New Zealand Nature Fund. The funeral proceedings will be quietly held as a private family memorial at the New Zealand farm he loved, according to the family's wishes.
News of Sam Neill's death engulfed Hollywood in great sorrow. Many fellow actors and directors, including Nicole Kidman, Toni Collette, Cillian Murphy, Alec Baldwin and Henry Golding, have posted anguished tributes on social media saying, "Our eternal hero and dear friend has gone."
Born in 1947, Sam Neill rose to global stardom in 1993 playing Dr. Alan Grant, the lead in director Steven Spielberg's mega-hit Jurassic Park. He went on to win worldwide affection with powerful yet humane performances across film and television in works such as The Hunt for Red October, The Piano, The Night of the Hunter, and the dramas The Tudors and Peaky Blinders.
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