The late actor’s family said his death was “sudden and unexpected” in an Instagram post shared on Monday, July 13
Credit: Sam Neill/Instagram; George Pimentel/Getty for TIFF
NEED TO KNOW
- Sam Neill attended the 2026 Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame Awards in Sydney in June, weeks before his death
- The late actor shared behind-the-scenes moments with honorees including Australian singer and actress, Kate Ceberano, and former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
- Neill’s family announced his “sudden” death on Monday, July 13, noting he was cancer free at the time
Sam Neill attended an awards show weeks before his death at age 78.
The Jurassic Park actor was pictured at the 2026 Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame Awards in a smiling selfie posted on Instagram on June 11.
Neill appeared alongside Australian singer and actress Kate Ceberano, who was honored at the ceremony, during the annual awards show, which was held at Carriageworks in Sydney.
The late actor also shared behind-the-scenes photos alongside Australian music duo, Vika and Linda Bull, New Zealand singer-songwriter Jenny Morris and former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
View this post on Instagram
“ARIA HALL of FAME awards!” Neill wrote in the caption. “Great night in Sydney. Four women I have idolized for decades were honored. JENNY MORRIS, KATE CEBERANO and VIKA and LINDA BULL.”
“Jenny was inducted [in] the Hall by no less than our former [New Zealand Prime Minister] JACINDA ARDERN,” he continued.
“Another hero,” Neill added, tagging the four Hall-of-Famers and the awards show.
In another video posted on Instagram on June 11, Neill was seen raking an olive tree. “Harvesting our olives this week,” he captioned the post. “Very small crop this year. Not sure why.”
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Neill’s family announced his death on Instagram on Monday, July 13, stating that it was “sudden and unexpected.”
“Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterized his whole life,” the statement read. “The loss was sudden and unexpected but 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 incredible care. More details will be shared later, but for now, on behalf of the family, we ask that you respect their privacy as they navigate this immeasurable loss.”
Credit: George Pimentel/Getty
In 2022, Neill was diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare blood cancer. He announced the following year that he had gone into remission.
In April of this year, Neill confirmed to Australia’s 7NEWS that he remained cancer free.
“I’ve been living with a particular type of lymphoma for about five years and I was on chemotherapy … Then the chemo stopped working,” he told the outlet.
At the time, Neill spoke about embarking on a trial of CAR T-cell therapy, which genetically modifies patients’ blood cells, per 7NEWS.
“I’ve just had a scan just now and there is no cancer in my body, that’s an extraordinary thing,” Neill told the news service.
After Neill’s post about the ARIA Hall of Fame Awards last month, he also shared on Instagram that he’d received a best actor nomination at the Logie (Australian TV) Awards for his role in the legal drama The Twelve.
“Very happy to receive a SILVER LOGIE nomination today,” he wrote on June 21. “The Twelve S3 . Many thanks to so many… another day … but for now a wonderful cast and crew.”
Neill also gave fellow nominees including Hunter Page-Lochard and Jacob Elordi “a big shout out” ahead of the ceremony, which is scheduled to air on Aug. 16.
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