Legendary kiwi actor Sam Neill has passed away, aged 78.

The statement was made on his personal Instagram account, shared by his family.

"It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia," it read. Whānau is a Maori word which broadly translates to 'family'.

"Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life.

"The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free. They would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at St Vincent's Private Hospital for their incredible care," they added.

Neill was previously diagnosed in 2022 with stage-three angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare and aggressive type of non-Hodgkin blood cancer. He underwent a revolutionary CAR T-cell therapy clinical trial.

In April 2026, he announced that his recent scans showed no cancer in his body and he was officially cancer-free.

The family said there will be more details to share soon, but for now, they have asked for privacy as they navigate their immeasurable loss.

Born Nigel John Dermot Neill on 14 September 1947 in Omagh, Northern Ireland, Neill's family moved to New Zealand in 1954.

He later studied at the University of Canterbury and Victoria University of Wellington, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in English literature.

Despite having a stammer when he was a little kid, he grew into an accomplished speaker and actor. In fact, he thanks acting for helping him overcome the stutter, saying he never missed a beat when he was on stage.

He began his screen career in New Zealand but starred in many international productions, including Dead Calm, Jurassic Park and Peaky Blinders.

In 1991, he was appointed as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his services to acting. He also received honours in New Zealand, as a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, and he accepted redesignation as a Knight Companion in 2022.

Speaking of his knighthood, Neill said he initially didn't want it.

"I said I didn't want the title for 10 or 12 years," he said in 2023. "Then when I thought I was dying a couple of years ago I thought, 'Oh bugger it, I may as well go out with the title,' so I changed my mind."

He never let go of his love of storytelling and literature, receiving an honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Canterbury in 2002.

In his personal life, Neill was married twice, first to Lisa Harrow with whom he welcomed his son Tim Neill, and later to Noriko Watanabe, with whom he has a daughter, Elena Neill. Both children have worked in the film industry. Alongside Tim and Elena, he also helped raise Noriko's daughter from a previous relationship, Maiko, who he officially adopted during their marriage.

Additionally, he fathered a son in his early twenties who was placed for adoption. The two reconnected in 1994.

He told The Times, "I've got a slightly unusual family; it's more extended than most. My first son, Andrew, was given up for adoption when he was very small. I was quite small, too — in my early twenties. I didn't see him for 25 years, and then we went looking for each other. These reunions are portrayed as sentimental and grisly, but there is nothing sentimental about it. No one sobs in anyone's arms; it's much more grown-up."

Neill was also dating Australian journalist Laura Tingle from 2018 to 2021.

With an interest in wine, he founded Two Paddocks winery in Central Otago, New Zealand, in 1993. The vineyards are famed for their pinot noir, and Neill also made his home there.

Despite it being a commercial interest, it was something close to his family's heart. His father had actually had a wine and spirit importing business — Neill & Co.

"My father imported quite a lot of wine through a Bordeaux-based company, so I was brought up on very good French wine," Neill said.

"He also imported New Zealand's top-selling brandy under his own label, Beehive. If my father had tried to market his brand under a name like Courvoisier, his customers would have run a mile. Instead, he chose a name that was simple, pronounceable and without affectation. I applied the same principles when I christened my wine Two Paddocks. Which is exactly what it was to begin with."

The choice of region also held special meaning.

"I grew up in the South Island. Every Christmas, my family went camping in Central Otago. The region reminded my father of some of the classic European wine areas that he had visited."

In his classic sense of humour, he named his farm animals after his celebrity colleagues, including a duck named Kylie Minogue and a chicken named Laura Dern.

After his cancer diagnosis, he spoke candidly about the happy life he was living.

"I'm not afraid to die," he told the Guardian in 2023, "but it would annoy me. Because I'd really like another decade or two, you know? We've built all these lovely terraces, we've got these olive trees and cypresses, and I want to be around to see it all mature. And I've got my lovely little grandchildren. I want to see them get big. But as for the dying? I couldn't care less."

Colleagues and friends are mourning the loss of Neill, who made his mark on the world.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today said Neill "earned a special place in Australian hearts".

"Wry and dry, thoughtful and laconic, Sam fought illness with the same dignity, humour and conviction that gave strength to his every performance," he said in a statement posted to X. "He will be much mourned and long remembered. May he rest in peace."

More to come.

Feature image: Getty.