Sam Neill, the veteran Hollywood actor from New Zealand, died on July 13 at the age of 78, after a battle with pneumonia.
His long-time agent, Philip Greens, confirmed the cause of death to Hollywood Reporter on Thursday to put an end to online misinformation about Neil’s death.
“Since Sam Neill’s death, numerous stories have appeared in the media containing inaccuracies and outright lies. As Sam Neill’s longtime representative, I have spoken with his family and would like to clarify some details for his fans. Sam died of pneumonia. Before he became ill, Sam valiantly fought and defeated lymphoma with a new treatment called CAR-T therapy,” his statement read.
Before his death, the leading man of Hollywood left his mark in films such as Jurassic Park, Piano, Dead calm and In the mouth of madness. Greens revealed that Neil has filmed four projects in a row over the past year, all of which will be released in the coming months.
He added: “As Sam was a very private man and hated fuss, his family will honor him with a private family memorial at his farm in New Zealand at a later date to be determined.”
In lieu of flowers, Neil’s family requests that donations be made to either the Dunstan Hospital Foundation, the Snowdome Foundation, of which Neil was a patron, a New Zealand charity or a fund that supports the sustainability, protection and conservation of New Zealand’s wildlife and wildlands such as the NZ Nature Fund and Sustainable Tarras.
The news of Neil’s death was earlier shared on the actor’s official Instagram account.
“It is with great sadness that Wano Sam Neil announces the news of his death on Monday, July 13, in Sydney, Australia,” the post read. “Sam was surrounded by his family and died with the dignity that defined his entire life. The loss was sudden and unexpected but we are 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 wonderful care. More details will be shared later, but for now, on behalf of the family, we ask that you respect their privacy as they deal with this priceless loss.”
