JURASSIC Park and Peaky Blinders icon Sam Neill has passed away “suddenly” at the age of 78.
The actor revealed in 2023 that he’d been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma – but announced he was cancer-free earlier this year.
Sam Neill passed away suddenly at the age of 78 Credit: Getty
He’s well known for his role in Jurassic Park Credit: Rex
In a statement announcing his death, the star’s family confirmed he had no traces of the disease at the time of his passing.
“It is with immense sadness that the whānau [extended family] of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday July 13, in Sydney, Australia,” the statement read.
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“Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life.
“The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free.”
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Laura Dern and Sam Neill in a scene of the iconic 1993 film Credit: Getty
Sam also appeared in the TV show Peaky Blinders Credit: Alamy
More details on Sam’s death would be shared later, the family said.
“For now, on behalf of the family, we ask that you respect their privacy as they navigate this immeasurable loss,” they added.
In March 2023, the Kiwi actor revealed he had been diagnosed with stage three blood cancer the previous year while promoting Jurassic World Dominion – a sequel to the iconic Jurassic Park, in which Sam played Dr Alan Grant.
Sam described his cancer as “a ferocious type of aggressive” non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma affects white blood cells called lymphocytes, which help the body fight off infections.
The actor had a rare form of it called angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma.
Sam received chemotherapy to treat it, but feared he was “on the way out” after it stopped working.
However, in April of this year, he announced that he was cancer free after undergoing CAR-T cell (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell) therapy – a type of immunotherapy that trains a patient’s immune cells to attack cancer cells.
Sam was diagnosed with cancer in 2022 Credit: AFP
He revealed this year that he had been in remission for 12 months Credit: Reuters
“We’ve just had a scan just now and there is no cancer in my body, that’s an extraordinary thing,” the 78-year-old told the Australian outlet 7 News.
“I’m very, very excited that this can happen.”
He began having immunotherapy in September 2023 and said he had been in remission for 12 months.
In the UK, around 13,700 people are diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma every year.
Symptoms may include:
Painless lumps in the neck, armpit or groin, where the lymph nodes are – this is the most common symptom
A high temperature that comes and goes with no obvious cause, or feeling hot, cold or shivery
Losing a lot of weight (more than one tenth of your total weight over 6 months) for no reason
Night sweats
Shortness of breath, chest pain or a feeling of pressure, or coughing – if lymphoma is affecting nodes in your chest
Itchy skin
Having these symptoms won’t definitely mean you have lymphoma, but it’s important you get them checked by a GP.
It’s common for your lymph nodes to get swollen if you’re fighting off a bug or infection.
But you should see your GP if you have a swollen lymph node that does not go away after three to four weeks, according to Cancer Research UK.
You may experience other symptoms depending on where in your body the cancer is developing.
These may include enlarged tonsils or a lump in your tummy due to swelling in your liver, spleen or lymph nodes.
This can make you feel full after eating small amounts of food, feel sick or have tummy pains.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the eighth most common cancer in the UK.
It tends to be more common in older people, with almost 40 per cent of cases spotted in people aged 75 and over.
