Bill Granger, the Australian-born chef famed for popularising avocado toast, has died at the age of 54, his family has announced.

The London-based Granger died peacefully in hospital on Christmas Day, with his wife Natalie Elliott and three daughters at his bedside.

Granger’s family shared the heart-breaking news on Instagram.

“It is with great sadness that the family of Bill Granger announce he has passed away on 25th December at the age of 54,” said the announcement posted on Wednesday morning (AEDT).

“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.”

Nine Newspapers report Granger is believed to have died from cancer, after being diagnosed with it many months ago.

Restaurateur Bill Granger had reportedly been diagnosed with cancer. Photo: Instagram.

Granger was credited with having taken humble avocado toast to the world.

The meal was featured in the Signature Dishes that Matter book which listed foods created by some of the world’s greatest cooking masterminds.

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.

Granger opened his first restaurant, bills, in 1993 at Sydney’s Darlinghurst.

In 1999, he and his wife Natalie began a professional partnership that launched globally.

Together they built a successful business that today has 19 restaurants across Sydney, London, Greater Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Seoul.

Bill Granger training staff at his restaurant in Korea. Photo: Instagram

Bill authored 14 cookbooks, made five TV series and most recently was 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,” said the post on 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.”

Chefs Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson were among the first in the UK-based chef world to express shock and sadness at the news.

“This is devastating news, I’m so sad to hear this, what a guy he was …. a wonderful human, kind calm soul,” wrote Oliver in the post comments.

“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 so good.

“Sending so much love to all his family 🙏🏼 rest in peace, Bill, he will be sorely missed.”

Lawson wrote that she was “heartbroken to hear this”.

“So cruel. Deepest love to N, E, I and B.”

Bill Granger’s ‘favourite food’ — avocado toast with a poached egg. Photo: Instagram

Australian actor Hugh Jackman and his former partner Deborra-Lee Furness said they would miss Granger’s friendship “most of all”.

“His talent, his joie de vivre, the way he brought people together and his commitment to family were inspiring,” they said, in a joint statement.

Television presenter and chef Adam Liaw described Granger as one of the pioneers of modern Australian food.

“His ‘sunny’ (his word, not mine) codification of Australian cafe culture at bills is the model on which every Australian cafe around the world is now built,” he said on X, formally known as Twitter.

Granger was handed a Medal of the Order of Australia in January for service to the tourism and hospitality sector.

At the time Granger said hospitality wasn’t the easiest business “but I can’t think of many other jobs where the job is just to bring a bit of happiness and sunshine into people’s lives”, in a social media post.

-with AAP