Jurassic Park’s Sam Neill had pneumonia prior to death

Jurassic Park star Sam Neill, celebrated for his role as Dr. Alan Grant, has died at the age of 78 in Sydney, Australia. The Northern Ireland-born New Zealand actor's passing comes months after he announced he was cancer-free, having undergone treatment for a "ferocious" and aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma three years prior.

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It really sucks. I’m sure, as he said in the press once, he’s not scared of death, but he would be annoyed. He would be like, ‘Oh, for goodness sake! I got over my cancer, and now look, now I get pneumonia. What next?’ But he’s on his big journey now.

Rima Te Wiata, who starred alongside Neill in Taika Waititi's 2016 comedy "Hunt For the Wilderpeople," shared that the actor had recently suffered from pneumonia. "It really sucks," Te Wiata told NZ Herald. "I'm sure, as he said in the press once, he's not scared of death, but he would be annoyed. He would be like, ‘Oh, for goodness sake! I got over my cancer, and now look, now I get pneumonia. What next?’ But he's on his big journey now."

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To be a really good actor, you’ve got to be a good listener. He had really good instincts and a really good spirit. He had a lot of empathy, and those qualities really helped him. He had compassion for his characters, even if they were awful. He knew how to understand things from their perspective.

Te Wiata paid tribute to Neill's qualities as an actor and a person, noting his good listening skills, instincts, spirit, and empathy. She added that he had compassion for his characters, even the "awful" ones, and understood their perspectives. Tributes have poured in from numerous colleagues, including Joseph Mazzello, who played a young fan in "Jurassic Park" and described Neill's death as a "gut punch," calling him "the best of us."

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I can’t say enough good about it and it’s just still shocking, and I’m going to miss him.

Fellow "Jurassic Park" stars Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum also shared heartfelt messages. Dern remembered Neill as her "beloved lifetime friend," emphasizing his loyalty, protectiveness, and wit, calling him a "true and noble gentleman." Goldblum simply stated, "The next great adventure begins. Love, always and forever." Director Steven Spielberg expressed his adoration for working with Neill, stating, "We will always have our Jurassic family, and Sam will never be forgotten." Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt, co-stars from the later "Jurassic World" films, also shared their grief, with Howard describing Neill as "funny, warm, wickedly self-deprecating, endlessly kind."

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Sam was my beloved lifetime friend… He showed me the depths of loyalty, protectiveness, and love, always with the driest of wit. He was a true and noble gentleman, wrapped up in my dream leading man. I will love you forever, Dr Alan Grant.