Ex-partner says Sam Neill had been ill for weeks before sudden death

Sam Neill died on Monday, July 13, at age 78 in Sydney, surrounded by family, according to a statement posted by his relatives on Instagram. The family described the loss as sudden and unexpected, noting that Neill had been declared cancer-free two months earlier.

His former partner, Australian journalist Laura Tingle, told the TV program "Sydney Mornings" that Neill had been fighting various forms of cancer for at least five years and had undergone extensive chemotherapy and immunotherapy. She said the treatment cleared a blood cancer but left his immune system compromised, adding that he had been "pretty sick for the last couple of weeks" and that his body may have been exhausted.

A spokesperson for Neill's family thanked staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital for their care and asked the public to respect their privacy while they grieve. Actress Rima Te Wiata, who worked with Neill on the 2016 film "Hunt for the Wilderpeople," said he had pneumonia before his death. Co-star Laura Dern issued a statement calling Neill a "true and noble gentleman" and expressing her personal loss.

Nei ll's death follows a public announcement earlier this year that he was free of a rare, aggressive cancer after treatment.