A statement posted on the actor's Instagram page, using the Māori word "whānau" for extended family, indicated that the loss was sudden and unexpected, but noted that Neill remained cancer-free. Neill had previously battled a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer, revealing in April that he was cancer-free. The family expressed gratitude to the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital.
Neill's career spanned five decades, including the Oscar-winning film 'The Piano,' but he is most recognized for playing Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s 'Jurassic Park.' Born in Northern Ireland, Neill immigrated to New Zealand at age 7 and was awarded the Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1991 and a knighthood from New Zealand in 2022. Outside of Hollywood, Neill lived on his New Zealand farm, where he named animals after Hollywood icons.
He was also an environmental activist and established his organic winery, Two Paddocks, in 1993. In 2023, Neill revealed his diagnosis with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma and underwent chemotherapy, during which he wrote his memoir 'Did I Ever Tell You This?' in 2022. In a 2024 interview, he stated he was not afraid of dying but would find it "very irritating" due to unfulfilled aspirations.
He is survived by his four children and several grandchildren.
