“Utterly Heartbroken!”: Devastated Aussie star Rebecca Gibney leaves millions of fans completely paralyzed with grief and breaking down in floods of tears after bravely exposing her shattering double heartbreak following the tragic and devastating loss of Jurassic Park legend Sam Neill and her beloved mother
Rebecca Gibney’s tribute to friend Sam Neill and mum Shirley after losing both within weeks
The Aussie actor opened up about losing her mum, Shirley, and close friend Sam Neill.
Rebecca Gibney has shared an emotional update following the recent death of her mother, and her close friend Sam Neill.
Shirley Gibney sadly died on June 21 at the age of 91, which left the Aussie star “utterly heartbroken”.
The Packed To The Rafters star has since revealed that a group of ducks has become a lasting reminder of Shirley on her New Zealand property.
The TV actor bought the home two years ago and only recently discovered her mum had routinely visited the area when she was a child.
“Mum shared that she used to dream about living in a place like this. Fast forward 80 years, and she felt like she had come ‘home,'” she wrote on social media.
Shirley “fell in love” with the white ducks on the property by the pond, and the whole family started calling them “Shirleys”.
“We would sit looking at the river, listening to the birds. Not speaking. Just immersed in the sounds of nature. At peace,” she wrote.
Rebecca shared that after returning from her mum’s funeral, a “magnificent” blue-black male duck appeared.
They’ve decided to call it Sir Sam, a nod to family friend Sam Neill, who passed away this week, which Rebecca said felt “serendipitous” and that her late mum would approve.
“He has developed an immediate rapport with a few of our Shirleys. They seem to follow him wherever he goes,” she added.
“We have no idea how long our beautiful new friend will be with us.”
Hundreds of fans fell in love with the “magic” of the “coincidence” spotted in the backyard.
“How magnificent… a pair of beautiful humans take flight and the more feathered friends appear. Shirl and Sam – perfection,” one commented.
“What a beautiful story. It is amazing how many of these ‘coincidences’ show up through life,” another said.
“How utterly divine Bec. A beautiful tribe of ducks,” a third added.
When Shirley died, Rebecca said it was going to be hard to navigate life without her.
“Mum overcame so much in her life because she had a deep faith that was unbreakable,” the actor said.
“She believed that life would always get better – no matter what you are going through.
“You just have to trust in the knowledge that light will always follow the dark, that good will prevail and love is really all that matters.”
Sam, meanwhile, died at 78 on Monday and was “surrounded by family”.
While his death was “sudden and unexpected”, his family said he died “with the dignity that has characterised his whole life”.
Tributes for legendary actor Sam Neill flood in
‘Jurassic Park’ star Sam Neill’s cause of dea:th revealed
Sam Neill’s cause of death has been revealed after his d*ath at 78.
The “Jurassic Park” actor, who was in remission from stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, died from pneumonia, according to his representative Philip Grenz.
“Prior to becoming sick, Sam had valiantly fought and beaten lymphoma through a new treatment called CAR-T therapy,” Grenz said in a statement shared with USA TODAY.
Grenz said there have been several “inaccuracies and outright falsehoods” in recent reports regarding Neill’s death.
The statement comes after comments journalist Laura Tingle, who previously dated Neill, made during an interview on “Sydney Mornings” where she said the actor was “pretty sick” in his final weeks. She also said that his immune system was “compromised” following his yearslong cancer battle, from which he was in remission.
“As Sam was an intensely private man who loathed a fuss, his family will honor him with a private family memorial at his farm in New Zealand at a still-undetermined later date,” Grenz’s statement reads. “I’d like to thank those who were truly close to Sam for considering his privacy with the respect he earned and his loved ones need and deserve during this immeasurably difficult time.”
‘Jurassic Park’ actor Sam Neill has died at 78. His cancer and clinical trial, explained
Neill announced he was “cancer-free” in April after undergoing a clinical trial in Australia, where he underwent CAR T-cell therapy to treat the rare blood cancer. He was first diagnosed in 2022.
His family, upon announcing his “sudden and unexpected” death on Instagram, noted the actor “remained cancer-free” and expressed “their deepest gratitude” to his hospital staff “for their incredible care.”
Neill died on July 13 in Sydney.
Sam Neill, the New Zealand actor best known for playing Dr. Alan Grant in the “Jurassic Park” franchise, died at 78. The actor’s “sudden and unexpected” death was announced on his Instagram account on July 13.
The statement shared that “Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life.” Neill had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare blood cancer, in 2022 and shared in April 2026 that he was cancer-free.
Neill exploded into superstardom as gruff but undeniably loveable paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 blockbuster “Jurassic Park” and returned for “Jurassic Park III” (2001) as well as “Jurassic World Dominion” (2022).
(Chris Hyde, Getty Images for AFI)Less
The actor was best known for his role as the gruff but undeniably lovable paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 blockbuster “Jurassic Park.” He reprised the role in “Jurassic Park III” (2001) as well as “Jurassic World Dominion” (2022).
He also starred in films including “The Hunt for Red October,” “The Piano,” “Event Horizon,” “The Horse Whisperer,” and “Bicentennial Man.” On TV, Neill earned widespread acclaim for projects such as “Reilly, Ace of Spies,” “Merlin,” “The Tudors” and a villainous two-season arc in “Peaky Blinders,” in which he played ruthless detective Chester Campbell.