Controversial sporting hero and corporate criminal Alan Bond dies at 77

Alan Bond, the polarising global entrepreneur who became an Australian hero by bankrolling a historic America’s Cup yacht race victory before going to prison over the nation’s biggest corporate fraud, has died. He was 77.

Bond, who had rheumatic fever as a child which weakened his heart, died in Fiona Stanley Hospital in the west Australian city of Perth of complications following open heart surgery, said his son, John Bond. The surgery involved replacing a heart valve that had previously been replaced almost 20 years ago, and repairs to two other valves.