Jurassic Park legend Sir Sam Neill's cause of death confirmed as pneumonia

As fans, friends and fellow actors alike continue to mourn the tragic loss of Sir Sam Neill following his sad death earlier this week, his representatives have now officially confirmed the star's cause of death.

The iconic Jurassic Park star passed away on Monday, July 13, at St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Sydney, Australia, with his family announcing the news via social media, confirming that the beloved actor was surrounded by his closest family members during his final moments.

While the veteran performer had spent the last few years privately and publicly battling a rare and highly aggressive form of blood cancer, his family chose to highlight a deeply comforting milestone regarding his health at the time of his passing.

"The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer-free," the statement read, reassuring fans that his previous illness was not what ultimately took his life. "Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life."

It has now been confirmed that Sam died after contracting pneumonia, a severe lung infection, reports PEOPLE.

Sam sadly died after suffering from pneumonia, his reps have confirmed (Jason Mendez/Getty Images)

The legendary actor originally shocked the entertainment world in 2023 after revealing in his memoir, Did I Ever Tell You This?, that he had been diagnosed with stage-three angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma.

Although standard chemotherapy treatments initially failed to stop the aggressive disease, Neill subsequently joined a cutting-edge clinical trial for an experimental medication that successfully forced the cancer into complete remission, allowing him to proudly announce earlier this year that he was entirely free of the disease.

Tributes have immediately flooded social media from top Hollywood heavyweights, led by visionary director Steven Spielberg, who famously cast Neill as the pragmatic paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in the 1993 sci-fi blockbuster Jurassic Park.

"I adored making all the Jurassic movies with him," Spielberg shared in an emotional statement. "Along with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our Jurassic family and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world."

The actor had privately been battling blood cancer for a number of years (Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon also paid a solemn tribute to the star, hailing him as 'one of the greats' who actively helped put the nation's local film industry on the global map across a prolific five-decade career.

Beyond his blockbusters, Neill was deeply cherished for his roles in The Piano, Peaky Blinders, and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, as well as his wholesome social media presence detailing life on his organic New Zealand winery.

The family has requested privacy as they navigate the immeasurable loss and will be privately laying him to rest in the coming days.

“I’d like to thank those who were truly close to Sam for considering his privacy with the respect he earned and his loved ones need and deserve during this immeasurably difficult time,” his rep said in a statement.

With his funeral set to be private, his family have asked that in lieu of sending flowers or tributes, his fans consider supporting some of the charities that were near and dear to the star such as The Dunstan Hospital Foundation, The Snowdome Foundation, the NZ Nature Fund and Sustainable Tarras.