Sir Sam Neill's death was sudden and he remained "cancer free", his family said on Monday. Today it was confirmed he died from pneumonia.
Popular New Zealand actor, Sir Sam Neill, died from pneumonia earlier this week, his long time agent has confirmed.
The New Zealand actor died on Monday, aged 78.
Neill’s family announced his sudden death on his Instagram, saying it was unexpected, but they felt blessed knowing he had died cancer-free.
On Thursday, Sir Sam's agent of 19 years, Philip Grenz sent a statement confirming the actor's cause of death.
"As Sam Neill’s longtime rep, I spoke with his family and wish to clarify some details for his fans," the statement read.
"Sam passed away from pneumonia. Prior to becoming sick, Sam had valiantly fought and beaten lymphoma through a new treatment called CAR-T therapy.
"In addition to running his award-winning winery, Two Paddocks, Sam had filmed four projects back-to-back during the past year, all of which will be released within the coming months.
"As Sam was an intensely private man who loathed a fuss, his family will honour him with a private family memorial at his farm in New Zealand at a still-undetermined later date."
Sir Sam revealed he was undergoing treatment for a rare blood cancer, angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, in his memoir Did I Ever Tell You This? published in early 2023. But he urged people at the time to “please not worry”.
Neill is survived by his four children and eight grandchildren.
This story was first published on rnz.co.nz |  |
