Sam Neill Died of Severe Pneumonia, Not Cancer, Manager Says

Sam Neill’s manager has clarified that the actor died from severe pneumonia, not the lymphoma many people believed had caused his death. Philip Grenz said Neill’s blood cancer had entered remission after treatment with CAR-T therapy.

Neill died on Monday in a Sydney hospital. Before developing the lung infection, he had continued working and had filmed four projects in the previous year. He also remained involved in Two Paddocks, his award-winning winery in New Zealand.

“Sam died from pneumonia. Before he became ill, Sam fought bravely and beat lymphoma through a new treatment called CAR-T therapy,” Grenz said. He added that Neill had filmed four projects consecutively during his final year, all due to be released in the following months.

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Sam died from pneumonia. Before he became ill, Sam fought bravely and beat lymphoma through a new treatment called CAR-T therapy. In addition to managing his award-winning winery, Two Paddocks, Sam filmed four projects consecutively during the last year, all of which are due to be released in the coming months.

Neill had spoken publicly in 2023 about his rare blood cancer and the chemotherapy and immunotherapy he received before undergoing CAR-T treatment. The article says the aggressive treatments weakened his immune system. Journalist Laura Tingle, Neill’s former partner, said years of cancer treatment had left lasting effects on his body.

Neill’s family planned a small funeral at his farm in New Zealand. They encouraged fans who wanted to pay tribute to donate to organizations and charitable causes he supported, including the Dunstan Hospital Foundation in Central Otago, rather than sending flowers.

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Essentially, he had fought intensely against various forms of cancer for at least the past five years, and that leaves its mark on anyone’s body. He underwent many rounds of chemotherapy and immunotherapy and, fortunately, eventually managed to beat the blood cancer he had. But that weakened his immune system considerably, and I think his exhausted body simply gave out, which is understandable.