Sam Neill’s ex Laura Tingle said the actor had been “sick” before his tragic death.
“The bottom line is he’d been fighting various forms of cancer for at least the last five years intensively,” the Australian journalist, who dated Neill from 2018 to 2021, said on “Sydney Mornings” Tuesday.
“That takes a toll on anybody’s body. He’d had a lot of chemo and a lot of immunotherapy,” she added.
“Thankfully, it had finally cleared him of the blood cancer that he had. But that left him pretty compromised in terms of his immune system. I think his poor old body sort of got a bit exhausted.”
Tingle, 65, said the “Jurassic Park” star had been pretty “sick for the last couple of weeks.”
“Everybody who loved him has been willing him on from near and far, but I think it was just a bit too much to recover from one more time,” she shared.
On Monday, Neill’s family announced that he passed away at age 78.
“It is with immense sadness that the whānau [family] of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia,” the “Peaky Blinders” actor’s loved ones wrote via Instagram.
“Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterized his whole life,” the statement continued. “The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free.”
Neill’s relatives then expressed “their deepest gratitude to the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital for their incredible care.”
“More details will be shared later, but for now, on behalf of the family, we ask that you respect their privacy as they navigate this immeasurable loss,” they concluded.
“Sam was my beloved lifetime friend. He showed me the depths of loyalty, protectiveness and love always with the driest of wit,” she told us.
The “Big Little Lies” actress, 59, called Neill “a true and noble gentleman” who was “wrapped up in my dream leading man.”
“I will love you forever, Dr. Alan Grant,” she concluded her statement, referring to Neill’s character in their 1993 blockbuster.
Two months before Neill’s death, he announced he was cancer-free following his battle with a rare and aggressive form of cancer.
In October 2023, the “Jurassic World Dominion” actor said he would be “annoyed” if he died because there were things he still wanted to accomplish.
