Sydney, Australia - Jurassic Park star Sam Neill died of pneumonia having fully recovered from his earlier battle with cancer, his agent said in a message aimed at providing clarity for fans on Thursday.
"I spoke with his family and wish to clarify some details for his fans," long-time agent Philip Grenz said in a statement to public broadcaster Radio New Zealand.
"Sam passed away from pneumonia. Prior to becoming sick, Sam had valiantly fought and beaten lymphoma through a new treatment called CAR-T therapy."
The actor's family is to hold a private ceremony in New Zealand, the agent said.
"As Sam was an intensely private man who loathed a fuss, his family will honor him with a private family memorial at his farm in New Zealand at a still-undetermined later date," Grenz said.
Neill had filmed four projects in the past year, Grenz revealed, which would all be released in the "coming months." No further details are known.
In a 2023 memoir, Neill revealed he was "possibly dying" with stage-three non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He declared himself cancer-free earlier this year, however, thanks to a genetic therapy that modified his immune system.
Born in Northern Ireland in 1947, he moved to the rugged South Island of New Zealand as a child. Neill started acting in New Zealand films in the early 1970s before moving into larger roles in Australia.
His big breakthrough came in 1993 when he played Dr Alan Grant in the blockbuster "Jurassic Park."
Neill's costar Rima Te Wiata earlier this week said he'd been battling pneumonia in the days before his death, and suggested that may have been the cause.
Tributes have poured in from friends, colleagues, neighbors, and some of Hollywood's biggest names, including director Steven Spielberg and fellow "Jurassic Park" actors Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum.