SAM Neill’s heartbreaking final photo shows the legendary actor beaming at an awards show just weeks before his “unexpected” death aged 78.
The Jurassic Park and Peaky Blinders icon’s shock passing was revealed by his family today, months after he announced that he was “cancer-free”.
Sam Neill’s final photo shows the iconic actor posing with singer Kate Ceberano at the ARIA Hall of Fame awards Credit: INSTAGRAM/ @samneilltheprop
The Kiwi actor battled blood cancer since 2022, pictured here during treatment Credit: Sam Neill
Sam records himself feeding and squabbling with two cockatoos in another recent post Credit: INSTAGRAM/ @samneilltheprop
Sam starred as Dr. Alan Grant in the 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park Credit: Alamy
In one of his last Instagram posts, Sam can be seen posing with singer Kate Ceberano as she is inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in Sydney.
Ceberano, who is seen grinning ear-to-ear in the selfie, comments “Soooooo lovely to see you” alongside several heart emojis.
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Sam’s touching post also celebrates inductees Jenny Morris, Vika and Linda Bull, and he adds that Jenny had been inducted by former New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern, whom he calls a “hero”.
Another recent post shows Sam harvesting olives with the help of another worker and commenting on the “very small crop” this year.
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Sam can be seen posing with Jurassic Park merch in another recent post Credit: INSTAGRAM/ @samneilltheprop
The 78-year-old announced that he was ‘cancer-free’ in March Credit: INSTAGRAM/ @samneilltheprop
He can also be seen jokingly “arguing” with two cockatoos as he feeds them on a rooftop balcony.
In the light-hearted clip, the actor tells them to “be nice” before dropping some nuts for them on the ledge.
As the birds dig in, he comments that “it’s just take, take, take,” before adding that they are “nice and quiet once they’ve got the nuts”.
Moments later, one of the cockatoos suddenly pecks Sam’s arm.
Sam had a storied five decade career as an international star Credit: Europa Press via Getty Images
He appeared as Detective Campbell in the hit UK show Peaky Blinders Credit: BBC/Tiger Aspect/Robert Viglasky
“Ow, what did I do to you?” he says.
“I came out to be nice and [you] just pecked me like that. That’s not very nice.”
As the birds continue to feast on the nuts, he tells them they are “spoilt rotten”, before joking: “I wish I had some friends who spoke English.”
The Hollywood star’s family announced his death today in a statement, writing: “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 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.”
The Kiwi actor was diagnosed with stage three blood cancer in 2022 while promoting Jurassic World Dominion, but underwent pioneering treatment.
He said that he had been “on the way out” when his chemotherapy stopped working.
“I was at a loss, and it looked like I was on the way out, which wasn’t ideal obviously,” he explained.
But after Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, the cost of which, on average, is £280,000 per patient in the UK, he announced there was no longer any trace of the disease in his body.
Sam told 7 News in his native Australia: “I’ve just had a scan just now and there is no cancer in my body, that’s an extraordinary thing. I’m very, very excited that this can happen.”
He first revealed he was having the immunotherapy in September 2023 and had been in remission for 12 months.
The treatment is personalised to the patient and genetically modifies their own T-cells to fight and destroy cancer cells.
Stoic Sam previously said he wasn’t afraid of dying after being diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma — a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
“I’m not in any way frightened of dying,” he told Australian Story. “That doesn’t worry me. It’s never worried me from the beginning, but I would be annoyed.”
Sam announced his cancer battle in the first chapter of his memoir, Did I Ever Tell You This?
He wrote: “The thing is, I’m crook. Possibly dying.”
The acting stalwart, who was born in Northern Ireland but grew up in New Zealand, is best known for playing Dr Alan Grant in the dinosaur franchise, beginning in 1993.
His successful movie and television career spans five decades and includes varied roles from The Piano, to The Zookeeper and even Peaky Blinders.
Sam shot to international fame after an explosion of Australian films from the late 1970s onwards launched the careers of several actors and directors.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to Neil as “wry and dry, thoughtful and laconic”.
He wrote on X: “Sam Neill starred in so many beloved Australian stories and he earned a special place in Australian hearts.”
Sam is survived by four children – Tim, Andrew, Elena and Waiko.
