Sam Neill‘s family have been left in mourning after announcing his death on Monday.
The actor died at the age of 78 just months after revealing he was ‘cancer-free’, with his loved ones revealing the death was ‘sudden and unexpected’.
Yet one small comfort Sam’s family can take from his tragic passing is that they were able to be with him at the end, with a statement revealing that ‘Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life’.
The Jurassic Park star was incredibly close to his family, as a father-of-four and grandfather-of-eight.
He had spoken at length about the importance of family, having missed out on 25 years of bonding with his eldest son Andrew, whom he put up for adoption in 1969.
Sam was in his early 20s at the time and didn’t think he was ‘capable’ of fatherhood, but later in life his perspective changed and he reunited with Andrew after the pair ‘went looking for each other’.
Daily Mail reveals the heartwarming tale of how Sam Neill reconnected with son 25 years after putting him up for adoption – as actor dies surrounded by his beloved family (pictured in 2019)
By the time he reunited with his adopted son Andrew in 1994, Sam had three more children (Sam is pictured in a throwback snap with his second son Tim)
The Jurassic Park star was incredibly close to his family, as a father-of-four and grandfather-of-eight (pictured having lunch with his family)
He told The Times in 2014: ‘No one has all the answers on how to be a good parent. I’ve got a slightly unusual family; it’s more extended than most.
‘My first son, Andrew, was given up for adoption when he was very small. I was quite small, too – in my early twenties. I didn’t see him for 25 years and then we went looking for each other.’
The Peaky Blinders actor revealed the pair took a mature approach to their reunion, continuing: ‘These reunions are portrayed as sentimental and grisly, but there is nothing sentimental about it. No one sobs in anyone’s arms; it’s much more grown-up…
‘You’re more capable than you think. If I could give my 20-year-old self any piece of advice, it would be that.’
By the time they reunited, in 1994, Sam had three more children.
He welcomed son Tim in 1983 with his first wife Lisa Harrow, who he met on the set of Omen III. They were married for 11 years before their divorce in 1989.
That same year, he married makeup artist Noriko Watanabe and they went on to welcome daughter Elena in 1991.
Sam also adopted Noriko’s daughter Maiko during their marriage. The pair separated in 2017.
The Sleeping Dogs star previously spoke about the struggles of raising girls, saying: ‘Daughters start as angels and then they turn into complete Frankenstein monsters!
‘When you despair at the unrecognisable creature in your house, know that one day it will turn into an angel again.’
He previously described his family life as being ‘somewhat haphazard, yet he still spent all the time he could with his children, and becoming a grandfather brought him ‘great joy’.
Sam said on ABC: ‘Probably a lot of my parenting has been marked by absence for one reason or another, not the least of them being that my job entails travel a lot.
‘I don’t have any tips myself as far as parenting is concerned. At the same time, I’m not going to beat myself up about it.
‘Now I have eight grandchildren. This has to stop! I mean, I’ve only just got a handle on all their names any more and I’ll be struggling. But they’re adorable.’
His son Tim added: ‘There are worse things a dad can do than be off working. He is a good dad. He’s a very good dad. He’s grandad. Grad, as we call him.’
When his daughter Maiko welcomed her first child in 2021, he shared a snap on Instagram and penned: ‘The Love. I don’t put family on media stuff. Except when they’re brand new.
‘This is my brand new grandson Nahlo, the bestest boy, two-weeks-old.
‘So chilled, no fuss. Just eats , sleeps and thinks about things. Parents blissed out, and everybody happy. Me particularly. The love.’
The Sleeping Dogs star previously spoke about the struggles of raising girls, saying: ‘Daughters start as angels and then they turn into complete Frankenstein monsters!’
Sam’s family were by his side as he battled stage-three blood cancer (pictured with son Tim) and said he wanted to get better so he could see his grandchildren grow up
Sam’s family were by his side as he battled stage-three blood cancer.
He went public with his diagnosis in 2023 after being diagnosed the previous year, after initially experiencing swollen glands.
Sam told Australian Story at the time: ‘I’m not in any way frightened of dying. That doesn’t worry me. It’s never worried me from the beginning, but I would be annoyed.
‘I’d be annoyed because there are things I still want to do. Very irritating, dying. But I’m not afraid of it.’
‘We’ve built all these lovely terraces, we’ve got these olive trees and cypresses, and I want to be around to see it all mature. And I’ve got my lovely little grandchildren. I want to see them get big.’
However, in April, Neil announced tests had found he was cancer free.
In an interview with Channel Seven, Neill detailed how close he came to death after chemotherapy stopped working. A costly, cutting-edge treatment prolonged his life.
He said: ‘I’ve been living with a particular type of lymphoma for about five years and I was on chemotherapy and the pretty miserable business, but it was keeping me alive.
‘Then the chemo stopped working. I was at a loss and it looked like I was on the way out, which wasn’t ideal obviously.’
Neill underwent a special treatment called CAR T-cell therapy, which genetically modifies a patient’s own T-cells to recognise and destroy cancer cells. Private treatment costs around $AUD540,000.
‘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 said at the time.
The treatment is currently in clinical trials to treat another blood cancer, myeloma.
Becoming a grandfather brought Sam ‘great joy’. When his daughter Naiko welcomed her first child in 2021, he shared a snap on Instagram and penned: ‘The Love’
Sam’s son Tim said: ‘There are worse things a dad can do than be off working. He is a good dad. He’s a very good dad. He’s grandad. Grad, as we call him’
Yet on Monday, Neill’s family announced his shock death.
Their statement read: ‘It is with immense sadness that the whānau (family) of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia.
‘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.
‘The family 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.’
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