SYDNEY, Australia (AFP)—Jurassic Park star Sam Neill died in Australia on Monday aged 78, his family said in a statement that described the beloved actor’s death as “sudden and unexpected”.

The New Zealander had in recent years undergone treatment for lymphoma but declared this year that he was cancer free.

“It is with immense sadness that the whanau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13 July, in Sydney Australia,” the statement read, using the New Zealand Maori word for family.