Laura Dern has written a touching tribute to her “Jurassic Park” and “Jurassic World Dominion” co-star Sam Neill, saying: “I will love you forever, Dr. Alan Grant.”

On Monday news broke that Neill had died at the age of 78. He was diagnosed with a form of blood cancer in 2022, but revealed earlier this year that he was cancer-free.

In a statement to VarietyDern said: “Sam was my beloved lifelong friend… He showed me the depths of loyalty, protection and love always with the driest wit. He was a true and noble gentleman, wrapped up in the protagonist of my dreams. I will love you forever, Dr. Alan Grant.”

Dern played paleobotanist Ellie Sattler in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 dinosaur blockbuster, the warm and optimistic counterpart to Neill’s often grumpy paleontologist Dr. Grant. The two reprized their roles in 2022’s “Jurassic World Dominion,” alongside new franchise stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.

Spielberg also honored Neill in a statement shared Monday. “I owe a debt of gratitude to Roger Donaldson, Gilliam Armstrong, Graham Baker and Phillip Noyce for casting Sam Neill in the roles in which he was so brilliant that they caught my attention and led to him playing Dr. Alan Grant in ‘Jurassic Park,'” he said. “Sam was exceptionally collaborative. It was difficult for him to play a character who acted as if the children were dirty and smelly because he was the opposite of the loving father he was to his children.”

Spielberg concluded: “I loved doing all the ‘Jurassic’ movies with him. Together with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our ‘Jurassic’ family and we and his millions of fans around the world will never forget Sam.”