Less than a year ahead of his death, Sam Neill revealed how he would want to be remembered when his time on Earth comes to an end. The much loved Jurassic Park actor passed away on July 13 and the news has left fans, friends and co-stars alike all feeling utterly devastated.
But it turns out that the actor had one simple wish in terms of his legacy. He didn’t wish to be remembered for his screen time, the awards or the big moments. Instead, he said that he would want to be remembered for his kindness.
Speaking to The Telegraph in August 2025, Sam was discussing the topic of mortality. During that conversation he spoke about his own mortality and cited a painting with a quote inscribed on the bottom that resonated with him and his desire to be remembered for more than just his life’s work. The painting he pointed towards was one that he owned by Helena Bonham Carter’s mother, Elena Propper de Callejón.
The star then noted thoughtfully: “It is a very sweet watercolor of a funny old thing in a flowery dress and bonnet. At the bottom of the painting is an inscription: ‘But she was kind…’ When I am no longer about, I hope someone will be able to say that about me.”
Details of Sam Neill’s Cause of Death
GettySam’s official cause of death is yet to be announced. However, it has been revealed that in the final weeks of his life he was battling against pneumonia.
This combined with beating stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma in 2022 are something that his ex girlfriend Laura Tingle has said will have taken a huge toll on his body. She spoke to ABC Radio Sydney about it, saying that Sam had been “very sick” in his final weeks of life.
She told the radio station: “His poor old body just sort of got a bit exhausted.” She added that “everybody who loved him has been willing him on from near and far,” but it was “just a bit too much to recover from one more time.”
Director Jane Campion Speaks About Sam’s Stay in Hospital Ahead of Passing
The Piano director Jane Campion has shared that she visited Sam numerous times in hospital, though neither of them would talk about the fact that he was unwell. She said that doing so would be a “waste of beautiful time” they could instead be using to spend together positively, and it was better to give “a sense of love in and around Sam” during a difficult time.
Recalling the last time she saw Sam, Jane noted how she had brought over some paints for him to play with, and that she had no idea that would be one of their last fond memories.
She said: “On the last occasion I saw Sam he was still in hospital. I brought him a little watercolour set from the Macquarie art school shop because he said time was hard to fill … he was thrilled to crack out a few dreamy sketches.
“We talked about the incredible Split Enz reunion concert that I had seen and he had followed on audio from his bed. Our goodbye was a kiss, followed by him thanking me for coming by, for taking the trouble. Did we know it would be the last time? I didn’t think about it, I don’t think he did either.”
