Sam Neill’s ex-wife Laura Tingle says Jurassic Park star was ‘very ill’ before he died despite not having cancer: ‘His poor body just got tired’ | English Movie News
A veteran player Sam NeillHis former friend, Australian political reporter Laura Tingle, has opened up about his final days, revealing that the actor was “very ill” in the weeks before his death despite declaring himself cancer-free earlier this year.Neill died on Monday at the age of 78. He had been declared cancer-free in April after battling angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of blood cancer.
Laura Tingle remembers Sam Neill’s final days
Speaking on Sydney Mornings with host Hamish Macdonald, Tingle, who dated Neill from 2018 to 2021 after he separated from his wife Noriko Watanabe, revealed the actor’s long battle.He has been battling various types of cancer for the past five years. And this damages everyone’s body,” he said.Explaining how the years in the hospital affected her, Tingle added, “She had a lot of chemo and a lot of physical therapy and, thankfully, it got rid of the leukemia that she had, but it made her very vulnerable in terms of her immunity and I think her poor body was a little bit tired, because it makes sense.”He continued, “So, he’s been very sick for the past few weeks and everyone who loves him has been putting up with him, from near and far.
‘He liked to work’
Tingle also highlighted Neill’s interest in acting, recalling his 2023 speech on The Australian News, where he admitted he wasn’t afraid to die but was “pissed off” because he had so much left to do.“I think that’s where he was,” he said. “He loved to work. He was defined mainly by being on television. He used to say, ‘I’m a workaholic.’ And I think he was. “He said that acting became an important part of Neill’s identity after he unexpectedly found his way into the industry.“When he, by his own admission, started acting, that feeling of always going around, being someone else, was a big part of who he was,” Tingle said. “And he did very well.”
The family remembers the actor
Following his death, Neill’s family released a heartfelt statement, revealing that he died surrounded by his loved ones.“Sam was surrounded by his family and died with dignity that lasted his entire life,” he said.“The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed because Sam survived the cancer. They want to thank the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital for their wonderful care. More will be shared later, but for now, on behalf of the family, we ask that you respect their privacy as they navigate this incredible loss.”Best known for his performances in Jurassic Park, Merlin and many other popular film and television projects, Neill is survived by four children, eight grandchildren and a legacy that has been celebrated by friends including Laura Dern, Nicole Kidman, Cillian Murphy and Steven Spielberg.
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