Sam Neill's Jurassic Park co-stars have taken to Instagram to pay touching tribute to their "beloved lifetime friend." The actor, best known for his role as palaeontologist Dr. Alan Grant in the iconic franchise, passed away suddenly on Monday, July 13, at 78 years old.
Family Confirms Death
Neill's family confirmed their loss in a statement, but details of the Peaky Blinders star's death are not public at this time. The statement read: "It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia. 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."
Laura Dern's Tribute
Laura Dern, 59, who starred alongside Neill as Dr. Ellie Sattler in three of the dinosaur classic films, shared a series of old images from their time on and off screen together in her tear-jerking post. She wrote: "Sam was my beloved lifetime friend… He showed me the depths of loyalty, protectiveness, and love, always with the driest of wit. He was a true and noble gentleman, wrapped up in my dream leading man. I will love you forever, Dr. Alan Grant."
Jeff Goldblum's Tribute
Jeff Goldblum, who plays Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park (1993), also paid tribute to the late New Zealand actor on Instagram with some old snaps of him, Neill and Dern on set. He wrote: "The next great adventure begins. Love, always and forever," followed by a dinosaur emoji.
Steven Spielberg's Statement
Director Steven Spielberg issued his own statement following the news of Neill's passing. He penned: "I owe a debt of gratitude to Roger Donaldson, Gilliam Armstrong, Graham Baker and Phillip Noyce for casting Sam Neill in the roles in which he was so brilliant that brought him to my attention and led to his playing Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park. Sam was exceptionally collaborative. It was a stretch for him to play a character who acted as though children were messy and smelly because this was the opposite of the loving father he was to his children. I adored making all the Jurassic movies with him. 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."
