Beloved Aussie chef Bill Granger dies in hospital aged 54

Tributes are flowing in for Bill Granger, with celebrity chefs crediting him with shaping the image of modern Australian food around the world.

Beloved restaurateur and food writer Bill Granger has died aged 54.

Tributes from around the world have flowed in for beloved chef Bill Granger following news of his death on Christmas Day.

British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver said: “This is devastating news, I’m so sad to hear this, what a guy he was …. a wonderful human, kind calm soul…. I admired everything he represented in food,” he wrote in a comment on a post on Granger’s Instagram page.

“I remember the first time I met him many moons ago he couldn’t have been nicer and his food so good …. Sending so much love to all his family”.

British food writer Nigella Lawson commented on the same post: “I’m heartbroken to hear this. So cruel.”

Australian celebrity chef Matt Preston commented: “So sorry to hear this news”.

“Bill was a genuinely lovely bloke and an inspiration. Together he (with Natalie by his side) helped shape the image of modern Australian food around the world. My thoughts are with his family, friends and all those he worked with at this sad time.”

Sydney interior stylist Steve Cordony said the news of Granger’s passing was “awful”.

“He was honestly one of the pioneers of not only food but that relaxed kind of culture that is so definitive of Australia,” he continued.

“His whole style embodied the Australian culture and he took that to the international market, he was the first of his kind to do that.

“We all know that we love that sort of relaxed atmosphere and you know that very sort of beach culture that is so indicative of Australia – that sort of grab a plate, grab a chair, sit around my kitchen table.”

The beloved restaurateur and food writer was 54-years-old.

In a statement, Mr Granger’s family said the self-taught cook died peacefully in hospital on Christmas Day.

He was with his wife, Natalie Elliot, and his three daughters, according to a statement to Instagram.

“A dedicated husband and father, Bill died peacefully in hospital with his wife Natalie Elliott and three daughters, Edie, Inès and Bunny, at his bedside in their adopted home of London,” the family said.

“Born in Melbourne, Australia, Bill was a self-taught cook who became a celebrated global restaurateur and food writer with a career spanning over 30 years. In 1999, he and his wife Natalie began a professional partnership that launched the business globally.

Bill Granger arrives for a reception with Queen Elizabeth II in 2011. Picture: Getty Images.

“Together they built a successful business that today has 19 restaurants across Sydney, London, Greater Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Seoul. Bill authored 14 cookbooks, made five TV series and most recently was honoured with the Medal of the Order of Australia in January 2023.”

Mr Granger opened his first restaurant in the Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst in 1993. His breakfast dishes – specifically scrambled eggs – earnt him followers. He later opened two more restaurants in Surry Hills and Woollahra.

The 54-year-old’s restaurants, which all wore the name “Bill’s”, went international in 2008, with venues in Japan and later the UK. But he is mostly known for his books, which also bore the name “Bill’s”.

Between 2000 and 2020, Mr Granger published more than a dozen cookbooks, covering cuisines and dishes ranging from everyday feasts to speciality Italian and Asian cuisines, to a book simply titled “Bill Granger Easy”.

“He will be remembered as the ‘King of Breakfast’, for making unpretentious food into something special filled with sunshine and for spurring the growth of Australian informal and communal eating around the world,” his family said.

Mr Granger, left, with Australian food stylist Donna Hay. Picture Instagram

“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.”

Mr Granger’s sudden death triggered an outpouring of grief from the Australian and international food community.

MasterChef Australia host Matt Preston said he was sad to hear the news of Mr Granger’s death.

“Bill was a genuinely lovely bloke and an inspiration,” he said.

“Together he (with Natalie by his side) helped shape the image of modern Australian food around the world.

“My thoughts are with his family, friends and all those he worked with at this sad time.”

The Block judge Neale Whitaker also mourned the loss of the revered food writer.

“This is such terribly sad news,” he said.

“Bill defined an era in food for so many of us in Sydney and beyond.

“Sending much love to Natalie, Edie, Ines, Bunny and Bill’s extended family.

“Vale Bill Granger.”

Mr Granger was well known for his Bill’s restaurants. Picture: Supplied

In a post, Australian actor and singer Jason Donovan called Mr Granger a “kind, gentle soul”.

“Devastating. Beautiful man,” he said.

“A ray of Aussie sunshine always in our adopted Notting Hill Neighbourhood.

My thoughts are with Nat, Edie, Ines and Bunny. Peace my friend.”

The death was also met with grief in Mr Granger’s “adopted” home of the UK.

British TV presenter and wine expert Olly Smith said: “Love to you all.

“Here’s to Bill, the rarest of gentle gems.”

London chef and author Nina Parker said: “So, so sad to hear this news of Bill.

“The food world has lost a very special chef.”

UK online food creator Elly Curshen added: “Such sad news. What a legacy.”