Laura Dern is remembering a dear companion.

The actress spoke out to honor her Jurassic Park costar Sam Neill—who played Dr. Alan Grant, her character Dr. Ellie Sattler’s colleague and love interest in the 1993 film—after his July 13 death at the age of 78.

“Sam was my beloved lifetime friend,” Dern said in a statement to E! News. “He showed me the depths of loyalty, protectiveness and love always with the driest of wit.”

“He was a true and noble gentleman, wrapped up in my dream leading man,” she added. “I will love you forever, Dr. Alan Grant.”

Dern—who reprised the role of Ellie alongside Neill in Jurassic Park III (2001) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022)—had previously called reuniting with the actor a “dream come true.”

“He’s just an extraordinary gentleman,” she told Entertainment Tonight in 2022, “and the minute I walked [along] that dig site into the tent and there was Dr. Alan Grant, still waiting for me to show up, I was very moved. And it was very special.”