Australian chef and restaurateur Bill Granger has died, surrounded by his family, in London.
The 54-year-old died “peacefully” in hospital on Christmas Day, according to a post on his Instagram account.
He was surrounded by his wife Natalie Elliott and three daughters – Edie, Inès and Bunny.
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“He will be deeply missed by all, with his loss most profoundly felt by his adored family, who are grateful for all the love and support that has been given,” the Instagram post read.
It has not been confirmed how Granger died.
Born in Melbourne, the self-taught chef dropped out of art school in 1993 and opened his first restaurant, bills, in Darlinghurst, Sydney, in October of that year.
The success of the restaurant led to several more being opened throughout Sydney, and in 2008 Granger launched the business globally, opening his first international bills in Japan.
He later opened locations in the UK and Korea.
Granger wrote 12 cookbooks, which sold more than one million copies.
His most recent, Australian Food, was released in 2020.
‘Heartbroken’
High-profile chefs including Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson were among the first to post condolences online.
Oliver described Granger as a “wonderful man”.
“(He) had an extraordinary ease and style in cooking that could only come from Australia,” he said on Instagram.
“What a guy, so much love to his family and friends.”
Lawson wrote she was “heartbroken” at the news.
“How cruel”.
More to come…