Eileen Bond, the first wife of the late tycoon Alan Bond, has died at the age of 87.
The flamboyant socialite married Alan in 1955 when they were both 17, later divorcing him in 1992 after 37 years of marriage.
Eileen passed away peacefully on Wednesday night after suffering a stroke on Sunday, her daughter Jody has confirmed.
6PR radio host Steve Mills fought back tears as he announced her death live on air.
‘I’m really saddened by this, because I’ve known this lady since I was a little kid and I’ve got to say, it’s pretty sad for me and a lot of people that knew her,’ he said.
‘So Big Red, as she was affectionately known, [she was] a great supporter of the Fremantle footy club, if you ever met the lady she might have been into money, but she was a down-to-earth trooper who just loved helping other people.’
Her death comes almost exactly 10 years after Alan died in hospital at the age of 77 in June 2015, having never regained consciousness following open-heart surgery.
The couple shared four children together; Susanne, Jody, Craig and John.
Eileen Bond, the first wife of the late high-flying tycoon Alan Bond, has died
Alan and Eileen Bond, described as ‘soulmates’ by their son John, pictured in August, 1989
Alan Bond (pictured in 1986) died aged 77 at Perth’s Fiona Stanley Hospital, never having regained consciousness following open heart surgery in June, 2015
During his marriage, Alan had an affair with Diana Bliss, having begun dating in 1979 when the theatre producer and PR manager was in her mid-20s.
Eileen, known affectionately as ‘Red’ was particularly close with daughter Suzanne, the pair often hosting lavish parties at their riverside mansion.
And in a positive twist, Eileen made peace with Diana prior to her tragic death.
It was reported she even welcomed Diana into her home for Christmas while Alan was in jail after being sentenced to seven years behind bars for corporate fraud in 1997.
Alan and Diana met when she worked for the businessman on his private jet.
Three years after his divorce from Eileen, Alan married Diana, a union that proved to be filled with trials and ultimately tragedy when she committed suicide in 2001.
Fifteen months before her death, Alan had been her full-time carer, determined to help her recover from mental illness.
They sought medical care from the world’s top experts in the field, desperately trying everything to help Diana. But on January 28, 2012, she died at the age of 57.
During his marriage to Eileen (left), Alan (right), had an affair with Diana Bliss, having begun dating in 1979 when the theatre producer and PR manager was in her mid-20s
Eileen Bond (pictured at the Melbourne Cup in 2004) was married to Alan for 37 years
Alan Bond is pictured centre with second wife Diana Bliss (right) who died tragically in 2012
Her body was found floating in the pool of their Cottesloe mansion in Perth. Alan, who was reported to be at home at the time, desperately tried to resuscitate her.
Diana left one final heart-wrenching suicide note for her loved ones, apologising for her struggle with depression and thanking them for their care.
In 2013, Alan spoke out about the intense grief he felt after his wife’s death.
‘I loved her so much, she was a fantastic woman in her own right and we really had everything going for us,’ he told Channel Ten Revealed.
‘It was heartbreaking to lose her. It’s something I’m getting over. I’m not over it yet, but it took me the first twelve months – I was shattered.’
Tragedy had struck the entire Bond family just two years earlier in 2000, the same year Alan was released from prison after serving four of a seven-year sentence.
His eldest daughter Susanne, a professional showjumper, died at the age of 41 from a suspected accidental prescription drug overdose.
Her body was found in her Peppermint Grove home in Perth.
Susanne was a mother to an infant child, her then 18-month-old son Charlie.
A popular socialite, Susanne was known as the life of the party and would often make an appearance at a number of soirées at the family’s riverside mansion.
Eileen’s death comes almost exactly 10 years after Alan died in hospital aged 77 in 2015. She is pictured here between social scene writer Holly Wood and Aussie music icon Molly Meldrum
Alan and his second wife Diana are seen arriving at the funeral for his daughter Susanne in 2000, who died following a suspected accidental prescription drug overdose
Alan (pictured arriving for his wedding to Diana Bliss in 1995) rose to prominence at the helm of Bond Corporation which began in property development
Alan rose to prominence at the helm of Bond Corporation which began in property development before expanding into brewing, television and gold mining.
In 1987, he founded Australia’s first private university, Bond University.
The tide of public opinion first turned against him in the early 1990s when he was declared bankrupt after failing to repay a $194million loan for a nickel mining project.
He was jailed the same year with reported debts exceeding $1.8billion.
Bond was released that same year following a successful retrial and, three years later, his family bought him out of bankruptcy.
In 1996, however, he found himself again behind bars for the secret, sweetheart sale of Manet’s masterpiece from Bond Corporation to a private family-owned vehicle.
It was his illegal siphoning of cash from Bell Resources and subsequent jail sentence in 1997, however, that ultimately precipitated the collapse of Bond Corporation.
That same year, he was stripped of his Officer of the Order of Australia title, awarded for his role in the America’s Cup victory.
In 2000, he was released from Karnet Prison Farm, a minimum-security facility in the Keysbrook State Forest in WA, four years into a seven-year sentence.
Following his release, Bond managed to rebuild his wealth through a series of mining investments, predominantly in Africa.
Within a decade, he would be readmitted to the Business Review Weekly’s ‘Rich 200 List’ with an estimated wealth of $265million.
