Actor Sam Neill, known for his role in the film Jurassic Park, died this Monday in Australia at the age of 78, according to a statement released by his family. The statement described the passing as "sudden and unexpected".

"Sam was surrounded by his family and passed away with the dignity that characterized his entire life," the statement noted. The New Zealand actor had announced in April that his cancer was in remission following gene therapy.

The actor, who portrayed paleontologist Alan Grant in the 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park, directed by Steven Spielberg, revealed in his 2023 memoirs that he was "possibly dying" from stage-three non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

However, he stated this year that he was free of cancer thanks to a therapy that modified his immune system. The family's statement indicated that Neill remained "free of cancer".

"The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam continued free of cancer," the family noted.

Neill's acting career began in the 1970s and included dozens of roles in film and television, including the Netflix series Peaky Blinders and the films The Hunt for Red October and The Piano.

He also managed vineyards in the picturesque Central Otago region of New Zealand.