Nicole Kidman has lost a "friend for life" following Sir Sam Neill's death.

The Jurassic Park actor passed away "suddenly" and "unexpectedly" on Monday (13.07.26) after being taken to hospital in Sydney, Australia, and Nicole - who played Sam's wife in 1989 psychological thriller Dead Calm - has been left "immensely saddened" by the news.

She told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper in a statement: "Sam was one of the greats, a joy to be around.

"We met when I was just 18 and he took me under his wing and we stayed friends for life. He was charming, kind, funny and intelligent. He will be greatly missed, and my heart goes out to his family."

Toni Collette is also in mourning for a "dear friend" and co-star.

Sharing a photo of herself and Sam - who she appeared with in 2002's Dirty Deeds - together on Instagram, she wrote: "I love you, dear Sam. You hero. You legend. You sweetheart. Our great friend. You are already missed so very much. Continue in peace wherever you are."

In a response to Sam's family's statement announcing his death, fellow New Zealander Karl Urban paid tribute to a "national treasure".

He wrote in the comments on Instagram: "An inspiration for many who followed in his trailblazing footsteps. A beautiful man, a national treasure who gave so much to New Zealand and the to world. God speed Sam."

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon also paid tribute to the actor on social media.

He wrote: "Sir Sam Neill was one of the greats. He started out when there was barely a film industry in this country to speak of. For more than fifty years he took New Zealand stories to the world and his talents helped make our film industry into what it is today - one of our greatest cultural exports.

"Sam made us proud to be Kiwis and we couldn't have been prouder of him."

The Twelve actor's family broke the news of his death at the age of 78 on social media.

They wrote: "It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia.

"Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life.

"The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free."

His loved ones voiced their "deepest gratitude" to the medical staff who cared for him, and promised "more details will be shared" at a later date.

The post continued: "They would like to express 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."

No cause of death has been given, but his death comes after Sam revealed in April that he was cancer-free after being diagnosed with blood cancer in 2022.