New Zealand actor Sam Neill, who died on Monday in a Sydney hospital, died of pneumonia, his agent confirmed.

Best known for his roles in Jurassic Park and Peaky Blinders, the 78-year-old’s family described his death earlier this week as “sudden and unexpected.”

Neill’s former agent, Philip Grenz, issued a statement Thursday about the cause of death after speaking with the actor’s family and because of what he said were “inaccurate and blatant falsehoods” in the media.

In April of this year, Neill announced that he was in remission after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, years earlier. His family said he “remained cancer-free” when he died.

“As Sam Neill’s longtime representative, I spoke with his family and want to clarify some details for his fans,” Grenz said.

“Sam passed away from pneumonia. Before becoming ill, Sam had bravely fought and defeated lymphoma through a new treatment called CAR-T therapy.”

Grenz said that over the past year, Neill had “filmed four projects in a row… all of which will be released in the coming months.”

Neill, who was born in Northern Ireland and raised in New Zealand, was “an intensely private man who detested fuss,” Grenz said.

He added that Neill’s family “will honor him with a private family memorial at his farm in New Zealand at a later date yet to be determined.”

“I would like to thank those who were truly close to Sam for considering his privacy with the respect that he earned and that his loved ones need and deserve during this immensely difficult time,” Grenz said.

News of Neill’s death sparked tributes from other actors, politicians and fans, with his Jurassic Park co-star Laura Dern describing him as “my beloved, lifelong friend.”

Australian actor Toni Collette called him a “hero”, “legend” and “love”, while New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he was “one of the greats”.

Neill played Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and also appeared in films such as The Piano, The Hunt for Red October, Dead Calm and Event Horizon, as well as the BBC television drama Peaky Blinders.

Over a career spanning more than five decades, Neill amassed more than 150 screen credits.

His last film appearance was in The Fox (2025) and his last television appearance was in the Netflix series Untamed (2025). He is expected to make posthumous appearances in Godzilla x Kong: Supernova and The Last Resort in 2027.

In her 2023 memoir, Have I Ever Told You This?, she revealed details of her cancer diagnosis and treatment.

“I’m not afraid of dying,” he told the BBC at the time. “What I don’t want is to stop living, because I really enjoy living.”

And he added: “I have considered it as an adventure, a rather dark adventure, but an adventure nonetheless.”

Neill is survived by his four children and eight grandchildren.