Sam Neill Dies at 78: Remembering His Love for New Zealand Band Split Enz and 'True Colours'

Sam Neill, the actor best known for Jurassic Park, has died at 78. In the wake of his death, tributes have shifted focus from the gruff characters he often played on screen to the warmth he was widely known for off it. Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, rugby legend Justin Marshall, and actor Karl Urban have all shared public tributes. Less widely known is Neill's decades-long support for New Zealand's music scene — particularly the two bands led by brothers Neil and Tim Finn: Split Enz and Crowded House.

'True Colours': A Time Machine Back to a London Summer

In 1980, Neill had just landed a foothold in Hollywood with Omen III: The Final Conflict and, for the first time in his life, had money in his pocket while living in London. He volunteered to write, unpaid, about Split Enz's 1980 album True Colours for Grant Smithies' 2007 book Soundtrack: 118 Great New Zealand Albums.

True Colours topped the charts in both New Zealand and Australia, and its lead single