Key Points
Sam Neill made his final public appearance at the ARIA Hall of Fame Awards in Sydney in June.
The actor died at 78 on Monday, his family shared.
Neill is best known for starring as Alan Grant in Jurassic Park.
Sam Neill was beaming at his final public appearance in June, a month before his death.
Weeks before his “sudden and unexpected” death at 78 on Monday, the Jurassic Parkstar shared photos from the 2026 Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame Awards in Sydney.
“ARIA HALL of FAME awards ! Great night in Sydney,” Neill wrote on Instagram alongside photos on June 11. “Four women I have idolised for decades were honoured . JENNY MORRIS , KATE CEBERANO , and VIKA and LINDA BULL. Jenny was inducted the Hall by no less than our former NZ PM , JACINDA ARDERN . Another hero.”
In a selfie, Neill smiled next to ARIA honoree, Australian singer and actress Kate Ceberano, as they stood under theater lights at venue Carriageworks.
“Soooooo very lovely to see you ❤️❤️❤️❤️,” Ceberano commented at the time.
Neill also shared behind-the-scenes photos of Australian music duo Vika and Linda Bull, New Zealand singer-songwriter Jenny Morris, and former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Neill’s family announced the “unexpected” news of his death on Instagram early Monday morning.
“It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia,” the post began.
“Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life,” the statement continued. “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.”
Neill was diagnosed with stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare blood cancer, in 2022. He announced he was cancer-free in April 2026 after successful CAR-T cell therapy.
During an appearance on Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Australian Story in 2023, the actor said, “I’m not, in any way, frightened of dying. It’s never worried me from the beginning. But I would be annoyed because there are things I still want to do.”
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Neill was best known for starring as Alan Grant in Jurassic Park, and for films like Possession, Merlin, Dead Calm, and Wimbledon.
His final film roles are the yet-to-be-released The Last Resort alongside Daisy Ridley and Godzilla x Kong: Supernova.
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