Sam Neill’s cause of death confirmed as pneumonia by manager, as actor’s final roles revealed
Sam Neill’s management confirmed that the much-loved actor had died of pneumonia.
Neill’s long-time representative Philip Grenz issued a statement as he said news of the 78-year-old’s death at St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Sydney had circulated in numerous media reports containing “inaccuracies and outright lies” since it was published on Monday.
Grenz said he wanted to “clarify some details for his fans” after consulting with Neill’s whanau (a Maori word meaning extended family).
“Sam died of pneumonia,” Grenz wrote. This confirmed the report quoting Neill’s friend and Hunt the Wild Folk In the news published by this imprint on Tuesday, her co-star Rima Te Wiata was stated to have caught pneumonia shortly before her death.
“Before Sam became ill, he had heroically fought and defeated lymphoma through a new treatment called CAR-T therapy,” Grenz wrote. “In addition to running the award-winning winery Two Paddocks, Sam filmed four back-to-back projects last year, all of which will be released in the coming months.”
These projects include: Foxfirst feature Danger 5 Created by Dario Russo. The relationship tale, which will be screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival next month, stars Neill as the voice of the magpie and Olivia Colman as the fox.
Also the date by which it should be released Last Resorta romantic comedy Miss Friendship Directed by Donald Petrie, in which Neill stars alongside Daisy Ridley and Alden Ehrenreich. Neill will also appear in the star-studded series. Godzilla x Kong: Supernova.
The fourth project has yet to be announced, but Grenz suggested its makers will likely go public “sooner or later.”
One of Neill’s latest performances has already been released around the world: a commercial for US cable provider Xfinity, directed by Taika Waititi. Jurassic Park was not beset by system failure.
It features the elderly Neill and Jeff Goldblum driving through a dinosaur theme park while a tech guy plugs in the cable and normal service resumes.
Neill’s paleontologist, Dr. “So we’re good,” says Alan Grant.
“Well, it’s going to be a nice weekend,” Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm replies as he heads off into the T-Rex-free night.
Despite the pain felt around the world over his death, Neill’s life will be quietly celebrated.
“Sam was an extremely private man who hated fuss, so his family will honor him with a private family memorial service at his farm in New Zealand at a later date yet to be determined,” Grenz wrote.
“I want to thank those truly close to Sam for gaining support during this immeasurably difficult time and for considering his privacy with the respect his loved ones need and deserve.”
In lieu of flowers, Grenz asked those who wish to commemorate Neill’s death to donate to charities or funds he supported. He detected:
Dunstan Hospital Foundation“Sam had a deep connection to the Central Otago community and was a passionate supporter of ensuring that the people he called home had access to world-class healthcare,” Grenz wrote.
Snow Dome Foundation: “As a patron of Snowdome, Sam was a tireless advocate for equitable access to life-saving blood cancer treatments, including CAR-T therapy, in Australia and New Zealand. This cause was deeply personal to him.”
New Zealand Nature Fund or Sustainable Tarras: “New Zealand charities or funds that support the sustainability, protection and conservation of New Zealand’s wildlife, native bush and soils.”
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