Actor Sam Neill died from pneumonia, agent confirms

New Zealand actor Sam Neill, who passed away on Monday at a Sydney hospital, died from pneumonia, his agent has confirmed.Best known for his roles in Jurassic Park and Peaky Blinders, the 78-year-old's family described his death earlier this week as "sudden and unexpected".Neill's long-time agent Philip Grenz released a statement on Thursday about the cause of death after speaking to the actor's family and due to what he said were "inaccurate and outright falsehoods" in the media.In April this year, Neill announced he was in remission after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - a type of blood cancer - years earlier. His family said he had "remained cancer free" when he died."As Sam Neill's longtime rep, I spoke with his family and wish to clarify some details for his fans," Grenz said. "Sam passed away from pneumonia. Prior to becoming sick, Sam had valiantly fought and beaten lymphoma through a new treatment called CAR-T therapy."Grenz said that during the past year, Neill had "filmed four projects back-to-back... all of which will be released within the coming months".Neill, who was born in Northern Ireland and grew up in New Zealand, was "an intensely private man who loathed a fuss", Grenz said.