Sam Neill's Ex Honors Their Love with Heartbreaking Video Tribute

On Monday, July 13, the entertainment world learned that Jurassic Park actor Sam Neill had died at age 78, and the outpouring of grief has revealed the profound impact he left on those closest to him. Among the first to speak was Laura Tingle, the Australian journalist who dated Neill from 2018 to 2021, and her tribute cut straight to the heart of what made their relationship special.

Tingle, 65, posted a deeply personal video montage on Instagram set to John Hiatt’s 2014 song“Long Time Comin’.”The footage weaves together intimate moments—Neill and Tingle kissing, laughing, sharing quiet affection—with scenes of the actor living fully: goofing off with friends, belting out tunes, exploring nature. It’s the kind of tribute that captures not just a romance, but a life well-lived. The lyrics that accompany the images carry a particular sting:“And if I told the truth / All these memories of you / Well that’s why I play the game / Friend of mine said,‘A long time comin”/ Like it never came.”One standout moment shows the former couple performing a singalong rendition of John Prine’s“In Spite of Ourselves”—a rare window into their private dynamic.

Neill’s family confirmed his death came suddenly and unexpectedly in Sydney, Australia, surrounded by loved ones. The statement carried a note of relief: though his passing shocked everyone, the family felt blessed that Neill had remained cancer-free following a five-year battle with the disease that earned him a clean bill of health just three months prior in April. It’s a cruel irony that rings through the tributes now pouring in.

The couple’s relationship, though kept largely private, had its lighter moments. Neill once joked about their pairing to the Australian media, saying,“My guess is that I’m in it for the politics; she’s in it for the wine.”It’s the kind of quip that reveals affection hidden beneath humor—the trademark of people comfortable enough to laugh at themselves and each other.

What makes Tingle’s tribute resonate is that it doesn’t try to rewrite their story into something it wasn’t. They dated, they cared, they parted ways. But the memories remained, vivid and real, worthy of being preserved and shared with the world. In choosing“Long Time Comin’,”she picked a song about loss, memory, and the work that never ends—themes that seem to follow Neill’s own philosophy. Those close to him noted he feared retirement far more than death, that his identity was inseparable from his craft. In that way, Tingle’s tribute honors not just the man she knew, but the artist who refused to stop working.

Neill leaves behind a complicated but loving legacy: three children (including a son reunited with him decades after adoption), ex-wives Lisa Harrow and Noriko Watanabe, and hearts across generations moved by his work on screen and his full embrace of life off it.