Actor Sam Neill died on Monday at the age of 78 from pneumonia, according to his former girlfriend, ABC political journalist Laura Tingle. Tingle revealed that Neill had been ill for approximately two weeks leading up to his death, describing him as "pretty sick."

Neill had recently been declared cancer-free after a lengthy battle with stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, which he was diagnosed with in 2022. Following chemotherapy and immunotherapy, he underwent CAR T-cell therapy, a cutting-edge treatment that resulted in no detectable cancer in April. However, these treatments had left his immune system significantly compromised.

"His poor old body just sort of got a bit exhausted," Tingle told ABC Radio Sydney. "He'd had a lot of chemo and a lot of immunotherapy and, thankfully, it finally cleared him of the blood cancer that he had, but that left him pretty compromised in terms of his immune system."

Neill's family had previously announced his death as "sudden and unexpected" in a statement released on his Instagram page. The statement indicated he passed away in Sydney, Australia, surrounded by family, and thanked the staff at St Vincent's Private Hospital for their care. Details were expected later, and the family requested privacy.

Friends and colleagues have paid tribute to the actor. Rima Te Wiata, who co-starred with Neill in "Hunt For The Wilderpeople," noted that he would likely have been frustrated by falling ill again after overcoming cancer. "It really sucks actually. As he said in the press once, he's not scared of death but he would be annoyed," Te Wiata commented.

Neill, known for his role as Dr. Alan Grant in the "Jurassic Park" franchise, had a prolific career spanning decades. He appeared in the original "Jurassic Park" (1993), "Jurassic Park III" (2001), and "Jurassic World Dominion" (2022). His other notable roles included "The Dish," "Peaky Blinders," and "The Tudors." He had recently completed work on "Godzilla x Kong: Supernova" and "The Last Resort," both slated for posthumous release in 2027.

Neill's personal life included two marriages: first to New Zealand actress Lisa Harrow from 1981 to 1989, and then to Japanese makeup artist Noriko Watanabe from 1989 to 2017. He and Tingle were in a relationship from 2018 to 2021. In his 2023 memoir, "Did I Ever Tell You This?", Neill reflected on his life and expressed gratitude for the people in it, also acknowledging moments of loneliness during his cancer treatment.