Celebrities pay tribute to late Australian chef Bill Granger
Sign up now: Weekly recommendations for the best eats in town
Bill Granger's family said the star chef died on Dec 25 at the age of 54, without stating the cause of death.
PHOTO: MIKKEL VANG
Follow topic:
Several celebrities have paid tribute to Australian star chef Bill Granger, who died at the age of 54 on Christmas Day.
“It is with great sadness that the family of Bill Granger announce he has passed away on 25th December,” said his family on social media on Dec 26, without stating the cause of death.
“A dedicated husband and father, Bill died peacefully in hospital with his wife Natalie Elliott and three daughters, Edie, Ines and Bunny, at his bedside in their adopted home of London.”
Among the artistes who honoured Granger were his fellow Australians – actor Hugh Jackman and his former wife, actress Deborra-Lee Furness, as well as singer-actor Jason Donovan.
“We are devastated to hear the news of Bill’s passing,” Jackman and Furness wrote jointly on Instagram Stories. “His talent, his joie de vivre, the way he brought people together, and his commitment to family were inspiring. We will miss his friendship most of all.
“Our love goes out to Natalie and their three incredible daughters, Edie, Ines and Bunny.”
Donovan wrote on Instagram: “What a kind gentle soul. Devastating. Beautiful man. A ray of Aussie sunshine always in our adopted Notting Hill Neighbourhood. My thoughts are with Nat, Edie, Ines and Bunny.”
American actress Gwyneth Paltrow wrote under Granger’s family’s post: “Oh my goodness, this is so heartbreaking! Love to you all.”
Born in Melbourne, Australia, Granger 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 began a professional partnership that launched the business globally and established 19 restaurants in Sydney, London, Greater Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Seoul, according to his family.
He authored 14 cookbooks, made five television series and was most recently honoured with the Medal of the Order of Australia in January 2023.
“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 wrote.
The culinary world also eulogised Granger.
“Shocking and deeply sad news to hear of his death today,” wrote English celebrity chef Jamie Oliver on Instagram. “I loved @bill.granger so much, he was such a wonderful man, warm, charming, and had an extraordinary ease and style in cooking that could come only from Australia.”
He added: “Many moons ago, I remember going to his first Sydney restaurant in Darlinghurst. It was so cool, so relaxed, great food and coffee and years ahead of its time. He was there in full effect, so welcoming and just so nice.”
English food writer and television cook Nigella Lawson wrote: “He was the loveliest man, and the joy he gave us – whether through his food, his books, the spaces he made for us, or in person – came from the kindness, generosity and sheer shining exuberance of his very self. So devastated for his family.”
Australian food writer and food critic Melissa Leong, previously a judge on MasterChef Australia from 2020 to 2023, wrote: “Few have, or will ever, convey the beauty and ease of Australian cooking to the world with such effortless charm. We have lost a true icon and legend of our industry in Bill’s passing. My thoughts are with those who knew and loved him best.”
