Beloved Kiwi and blockbuster actor Sam Neill has passed away at the age of 78.

In a statement, his family revealed he was surrounded by his family at the time and requested privacy.

Pete Ford says that despite a cancer battle that lasted two years, he did manage to beat it before he passed.

“The way he was so open and yet dignified in talking about his cancer battle in recent years that gave a lot of people a lot of hope and inspiration,” he said.

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