Co-star says Sam Neill had pneumonia before his death

New Zealand actor Sam Neill died on Monday at age 78, and a former co-star said he had been battling pneumonia before his death. Rima Te Wiata, who worked with Neill on the 2016 film "Hunt for the Wilderpeople," told the New Zealand Herald that Neill was not afraid of dying but would have been "annoyed" by the timing, adding that he had recently overcome cancer.

Neill’s family announced his passing in a statement that described the loss as sudden and unexpected, noting that he remained cancer-free but did not specify a cause of death. In his 2023 memoir, Neill wrote that he was "possibly dying" from stage-three non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but he later declared himself cancer-free after treatment.

Tributes have been shared worldwide. Laura Dern described Neill as a "beloved lifetime friend" and a "true and noble gentleman" on social media. Jeff Goldblum said, "The next great adventure begins," while director Steven Spielberg said he "adored making all the Jurassic movies with him" and that Neill will not be forgotten by fans.

Former partner and ABC journalist Laura Tingle said Neill’s body had become exhausted after weeks of illness and a history of chemotherapy and immunotherapy that left his immune system compromised. Co-star Cillian Murphy called Neill "one of the kindest, funniest and gentlest people" and "one of the finest actors." Nicole Kidman recalled meeting Neill when she was 18, saying he took her under his wing and remained a lifelong friend.

Neill, born in Omagh, Northern Ireland, in 1947 and raised in New Zealand, appeared in more than 150 film and television projects, including "Jurassic Park," "The Hunt for Red October," "The Piano," "Event Horizon" and "Peaky Blinders." He accepted a knighthood in the New Zealand royal honors system in 2022.