Australian top chef Bill Granger dies ‘peacefully’ at the age of 54: ‘He will be deeply missed by everyone’

World-famous Australian chef Bill Granger has died at the age of 54, his family announced in a heartbreaking Instagram post.

He died ‘peacefully’ in hospital, surrounded by his family.

“He will be deeply missed by all, with his loss felt most deeply by his beloved family, who are grateful for all the love and support given,” the Instagram post said.

“It is with great sadness that the family of Bill Granger announce that he passed away on December 25 at the age of 54.

‘Bill, a devoted husband and father, died peacefully in hospital with his wife Natalie Elliott and three daughters, Edie, Inès and Bunny, at his bedside in their adopted home in London.’

Born in Melbourne, Australia, Bill was a self-taught chef who became a celebrated global restaurateur and food writer with a career spanning more than 30 years.

In 1999, he and his wife Natalie began a professional partnership that launched the company worldwide. Together they built a successful business that today has 19 restaurants in Sydney, London, Greater Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Seoul.

Bill wrote fourteen cookbooks, created five TV series and was recently honored with the Medal of the Order of Australia in January 2023.

He will be remembered as the ‘King of Breakfast’ for turning unpretentious food into something special full of sunshine and for encouraging the growth of Australian casual and communal dining around the world.

The message added: ‘He will be deeply missed by all, with his loss felt most deeply by his adored family, who are grateful for all the love and support given.’

Tributes came for Granger from fellow celebrity chefs including Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver.

‘I am devastated to hear this. So cruel. Deepest love for N, E, I and B,” Nigella wrote.

Jamie Oliver, 47, wrote that he was ‘devastated’ by the news of Granger’s death and described the chef as an ‘amazing human being’ who made great food.

“This is devastating news, I am so sad to hear this, what a man he was…. a wonderful human, kind, calm soul,” Jamie wrote.

“I admired everything he represented in food. I remember the first time I met him many moons ago, he couldn’t have been nicer and his food was so good.

“Sending so much love to his entire family. Rest in Peace Bill, he will be greatly missed jox xx.”

In a second tribute to Jamie’s Instagram Story, the British celebrity chef wrote that he “loved Bill so much.”

“This is such sad news… I loved Bill Granger so much, he was such a wonderful man, warm, charming, and he had an extraordinary ease and cooking style that could only come from Australia,” Jamie wrote.

“Bless you Bill, so much love! What a guy. So much love for his family and friends.’

Sydney chef and Netflix star Mark Best also shared a touching tribute to Granger and his family, describing him as a “beautiful man who leaves behind a beautiful family.”

Swazi-English actor Richard E Grant was left speechless and chose to share a series of heartbroken emojis in response to the shock announcement.

Granger was a self-taught chef who left art school at the age of 24 to open his first ‘Bills’ restaurant in Sydney’s Darlinghurst in 1992.

Granger went on to own an empire of 18 cafes and restaurants around the world, including in Japan, Hawaii and London.

The chef was credited with inventing a breakfast item that has come to define a generation: the humble avocado on toast.

The Washington Post traced the first “recorded sighting” of avocado on toast to his first café, Bills.

Granger put the now famous breakfast snack on the menu of his cafe in Darlinghurst out of necessity in 1993.

The chef had limited opening hours from 7am to 4pm, which meant he had to open for breakfast to pay the rent.

Avocado on toast has remained a staple across his 18 cafe-strong empire ever since, becoming the breakfast that defines a generation.

Mr. Granger is also credited with being the first person to put the recipe in a cookbook, which he says felt “stupid” at the time.

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