New Zealand actor Sam Neill, famous for his roles in 'Jurassic Park' and 'The Piano', died on Monday, July 13 in Sydney, Australia, at the age of 78, according to a statement released by his family on his official Instagram account.

Sam Neill's family released a statement describing his passing as sudden and unexpected, adding that he had been cancer-free until his death, as reported by France 24.

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The statement clarified that the actor was surrounded by his family members at the time of his passing, and the family thanked the medical staff at the hospital in Sydney for the care they provided.

Battle with cancer

Neill had announced in April that he had recovered from angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare and aggressive type of blood cancer, after a treatment journey that lasted nearly five years. The family has not yet specified the cause of death.

Highlights of Sam Neill's artistic career

Neill's international fame began in 1979 with the film 'My Brilliant Career' by director Gillian Armstrong, which introduced him alongside actress Judy Davis, and he later became one of the stars of the Australian film wave that emerged in the late 1970s, alongside names like Paul Hogan, Mel Gibson, and Russell Crowe. He gained wide global fame after portraying paleontologist Alan Grant in the 1993 film 'Jurassic Park', a role he reprised in two later installments of the series. He also played the husband of the heroine in 'The Piano' played by Holly Hunter, and co-starred with Nicole Kidman in the thriller 'Dead Calm', in addition to notable roles in 'Event Horizon', 'Omen III: The Final Conflict', the TV series 'The Tudors', and the series 'Peaky Blinders'.