Jurassic Park star Sam Neill's death has rocked the entertainment world, with a bevy of famous faces coming forward to share emotional tributes to the New Zealand actor, who passed away on July 13 aged 78.
Sam's family revealed that his death was sudden, but that he had died cancer-free despite a lengthy battle with blood cancer. He is survived by his four children, Elena, Tim, Maiko and Andrew.
Nicole Kidman, who worked alongside Sam in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm, shared in a statement that she was "immensely saddened" by the news of her friend's passing.
© Getty Images"Sam was one of the greats, a joy to be around," she said. "We met when I was just 18, and he took me under his wing, and we stayed friends for life. He was charming, kind, funny and intelligent. He will be greatly missed, and my heart goes out to his family."
Steven Spielberg, who directed Sam in Jurassic Park, described him as "exceptionally collaborative" and the polar opposite of his character, Dr Alan Grant. "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," he said.
"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."
© Sygma via Getty ImagesJeff added his own tribute on social media, alongside photos from the 1993 film. "The next great adventure begins. Love, always and forever," he wrote. Laura spoke of her "beloved lifetime friend" in a statement to Entertainment Weekly, sharing that "he showed me the depths of loyalty, protectiveness and love always with the driest of wit".
Oscar winner Cillian Murphy, who worked with Sam on Peaky Blinders, said in a statement: "Like everyone who knew and worked with Sam, I admired him and adored him in equal measure. He was one of the kindest, funniest and gentlest people, and one of the finest actors. RIP."
© Getty ImagesThe Sixth Sense and Hereditary star Toni Collette shared a joyful photo of the father of four, and wrote in the caption: "I love you, dear Sam. You hero. You legend. You sweetheart. Our great friend. You are already missed so very much. Continue in peace wherever you are."
© POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesNew Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon spoke on Sam's global impact in a social media post. "He started out when there was barely a film industry in this country to speak of. For more than 50 years, he took New Zealand stories to the world, and his talents helped make our film industry into what it is today – one of our greatest cultural exports. His work will be watched and loved long after all of us," he wrote.
"His work will be watched and loved long after all of us. Our thoughts are with his family and friends tonight. Rest in Peace."
