13/07/2026 10:33 - Entretenimiento
The entertainment world woke up to sad news on July 13, 2026 following the passing of Sam Neill, the beloved actor who brought paleontologist Alan Grant to life in the Jurassic Park franchise. He was 78 years old.
According to international media outlets such as BBC, TN, and La Nacion, the actor's family issued a heartbreaking statement via his official Instagram profile confirming the news. The message highlighted that his passing occurred in Sydney, Australia, surrounded by his loved ones.
The loss was sudden and unexpected, but it is comforting to know that Sam was not suffering from cancer. Sam was surrounded by his family and passed away with the dignity that characterized his entire life.
The text also thanked the staff at St. Vincent's Private Hospital for their incredible care and requested privacy as they navigate this immense loss. While it was announced that more details will be shared soon, the specific cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
In March 2023, Neill publicly revealed he was diagnosed in 2022 with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare and aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (blood cancer) in stage three.
Encouragingly, in April 2026, the actor announced to the media that he was completely free of the disease after undergoing CAR-T (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell) therapy, an innovative treatment where a patient's own immune cells are genetically modified to target cancer. At the time, he told the Australian outlet 7 News: I just had a CT scan and there is no cancer in my body, that is something extraordinary.
Born in 1947 in Omagh, Northern Ireland, and raised in New Zealand, Neill developed a versatile career spanning five decades. He participated in over 150 productions, notably starring in Jurassic Park (1993), directed by Steven Spielberg, a role he reprised in Jurassic Park III (2001) and Jurassic World: Dominion (2022).
His talent shone in diverse genres, from the drama of The Piano (1993) to the thriller The Hunt for Red October and the horror of Event Horizon. On television, he is also remembered for his role as Major Chester Campbell in the acclaimed British historical crime series Peaky Blinders.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described him as one of the greats, noting that he brought his country's stories to the world for over 50 years. Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese highlighted that Neill earned a special place in the hearts of Australians.
Celebrities such as Kylie Minogue, Alan Cumming, Richard E. Grant, and Daisy Ridley expressed their grief on social media, saying goodbye to a wonderful and magnificent human being.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
