Gun N' Roses' Slash shares with us his 'shock' over loss of 'sweet' Sam Neill

Slash has opened up about the shock and sadness he felt after learning of the death of legendary Kiwi actor Sam Neill.

The 'Jurassic Park' star passed away in Sydney, Australia, on Monday at the age of 78. His family said his death was "sudden and unexpected", but shared they were grateful he had remained cancer-free.

Speaking to Tracey Donaldson in an upcoming interview for The Sound, the Guns N' Roses guitarist said the news completely caught him off guard.

Recalling the moment he found out, Slash said it was "a shock".

"I just came back, I was in the studio all day… and I get home and watch a little bit of TV and then [my girlfriend] Meegan goes, 'Sam Neill died'," he said.

It took me a second for it to process; I was like, 'Sam N- WHAT?'

Slash went on to describe Neill as "such a sweetheart of a guy", adding he'd been a fan long before the actor became Dr Alan Grant in 'Jurassic Park'.

He said he first became a fan of Neill around the 1981 release of the film 'Omen III: The Final Conflict', when he was about 16 years old.

"You know, all things considered, he was immortalised as Dr Alan Grant," Slash said. "That's the end of a whole thing, but he was just such a great guy in general."

"As a palaeontology obsessive (note the 🦕🦖), he loved Sam in 'Jurassic Park' and admired him as an actor," Tracey wrote alongside a clip from the interview.

Fans of both Slash and Neill flooded the comments, sharing their appreciation for the late actor.

"[He] was my favourite man in movies since 'Possession'," one person wrote. "Terrible loss. But he passed away on a perfect piece, and surrounded by those he loved the most. Hero of a whole generation!!!"

Another commented: "Wow, it touches me that a man with such a kind heart from Aotearoa achieved such great things… to hear that people like Slash love him too! Special!!"

"Legends talk about legends 👏," added a third.

The Guns 'N Roses legend isn't the only celeb to share his appreciation for Neill. He was also remembered by Nicole Kidman, Cillian Murphy, more, who shared how much they "admired" and "adored" the actor following his passing.

Bryce Dallas Howard also shared an intimate moment between the late actor and his 'Jurrasic Park' co-stars singing together.

In the video, the beloved performer croons The Beatles' hit 'Blackbird' alongside his 'Jurassic Park' co-stars Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, who accompanies on the piano.

Slash's full interview with Tracey Donaldson is coming soon to The Sound on rova.