Bill Granger, Beloved Australian Celebrity Chef, Dies At 54

Nigella Lawson, Hugh Jackman and Jamie Oliver were among those paying tribute to the restaurateur known as the King of Breakfast.

Bill Granger, an Australian chef, restaurateur and food writer known for his elevated takes on breakfast fare, died on Christmas Day, his family announced Tuesday. He was 54.

Granger died peacefully at a London hospital “with his wife Natalie Elliott and three daughters, Edie, Inès and Bunny, at his bedside,” according to a statement posted on Granger’s Instagram page. A cause of death was not provided.

“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,” the post said.

“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.”

Granger, born in Melbourne, Australia, was a self-taught cook who started a global business with 19 restaurants spread across Sydney and London, as well as cities in Japan and Korea.