Plans for a private funeral for actor Sam Neill have been announced, following his death on Monday at the age of 78. The ceremony will be held in New Zealand and is intended for close friends and family only.
No public memorial is planned, with an insider telling TMZ that the funeral will be an extremely private affair. Neill died at St. Vincent's Private Hospital in Sydney, Australia.
His family described his passing as "sudden and unexpected" in a statement released on his Instagram page. They noted that he had been diagnosed with a type of blood cancer but was cancer-free at the time of his death. "Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life," the statement read. The family expressed gratitude to the staff at St. Vincent's Private Hospital for their care and requested privacy during their period of mourning.
Tributes Pour In
Following the news of Neill's death, numerous tributes have been shared by notable figures in the film industry, including director Steven Spielberg and actors Laura Dern and Joseph Mazzello, who worked with him on the Jurassic Park franchise.
Dern, who played Neill's on-screen love interest Dr. Ellie Sattler, described him as a "beloved lifetime friend" and a "true and noble gentleman." Spielberg recalled Neill's exceptional collaboration and his suitability for the role of Dr. Alan Grant, stating, "I adored making all the Jurassic movies with him."
Health Journey
In April, Neill announced that he had been declared cancer-free. He had been undergoing chemotherapy for a form of lymphoma for approximately five years, describing the treatment as a "miserable business" that kept him alive. When the chemotherapy ceased to be effective, he underwent a specialized CAR T-cell therapy, a cutting-edge treatment that genetically modifies a patient's T-cells to combat cancer.
Neill had previously detailed in an interview how close he had come to death when his chemotherapy treatments stopped working. The CAR T-cell therapy, which can cost around $540,000 for private treatment, is credited with prolonging his life.