Eileen Bond, ex-wife of controversial Perth businessman Alan Bond, dies after stroke aged 87
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Eileen Bond's family confirmed she died on Wednesday night. (AAP: Richard Wainwright)
Eileen Bond, the former wife of controversial West Australian businessman Alan Bond, has died.
Ms Bond's family has confirmed to the ABC the 87-year-old died peacefully on Wednesday night surrounded by family after suffering a severe stroke on Sunday.
John Bond, Eileen's son with Alan, said his mother, affectionately known as "Red", had "lived life to the fullest" and was supportive to any family members in need.
Ms Bond was surrounded by loved ones when she died. (Supplied: Family)
"She had an extraordinary ability to just relate to people," he told ABC Radio Perth.
Alan and Eileen Bond married in 1955 when they were both 17 and had four children together before divorcing in 1992.
The Perth-based pair became a high-profile couple as Mr Bond's fortunes grew.
Eileen Bond (centre) pictured with music icon Molly Meldrum (left) and Perth social writer Holly Wood (right). (AAP Image: Perth Now)
They were together when his sailing team won the America's Cup in 1983, prompting massive national celebrations.
John Bond remembered the family had gone to Newport in the United States for the sailing race as the unknown underdogs and his mum had turned much of the American public to support the "Boxing Kangaroo", as the Australian team was called.
Eileen Bond (right) and Alan Bond (left) pictured during trials for the America's Cup. (Supplied: Lesleigh Green)
He said she had recently come to Sunday lunch with the family and her granddaughters had marvelled at her big sunglasses and earrings and wanted to know where she bought them.
"She related to all ages," he said.
Great mother remembered
But Alan Bond left a mixed legacy, with a very public corporate fall that ended with bankruptcy and a jail term.
He died in 2015 after undergoing heart surgery.
Alan and Eileen Bond became a high-profile couple as Mr Bond's fortunes grew. (Supplied: National Library of Australia)
At the time Ms Bond, who had remained on good terms with her former husband, returned to Perth from London.
"We've been in constant contact, but it's a very sad time," she told reporters at the time.
John Bond also said at the time his parents had remained close to his mother after their divorce and described the pair as "great soul mates who never broke their connection".
He said she had been a great mother.
"She would defend her family to the hilt," he said.
"'We could do no wrong', which is perhaps not always the right way to go.
"But boy was she a staunch and loyal supporter of anyone who she thought needed support."
In a statement, Ms Bond's children John Bond, Craig Bond and Jody Fewster described her as the "matriarch, the glue of the Bond family" and a vibrant, unforgettable woman.
John Bond (centre) remembers his mother as a supportive woman who could connect with people. (AAP: Richard Wainwright)
"Red only new one speed — flat out — and she brought everyone along for the ride," it read.
"She touched countless lives with her generosity, humour, and unmistakable energy. She brought joy wherever she went."
Prominent Perth car salesman John Hughes, Ms Bond's cousin, said the late socialite always stayed true to her roots.
"Eileen's passing has had a much more significant impact on me than I ever thought it would," he said.
"As she married and moved through life and met royalty and popes and American presidents, she never changed — she was always Eileen Hughes from Fremantle and I've always admired her because of that … she never took her feet off the ground."
Written by Nicolas Perpitch, ABC News.
