French news organisations report that the chef passed away today (6 August) after a battle with cancer.
Le Figaro writes that Robuchon underwent surgery to remove a pancreatic tumor more than a year ago.
Throughout his career he was awarded 32 Michelin stars across 13 countries, the most of any chef in the world.
Born in Poitiers, France in 1945, Robuchon made his name with the launch of his first restaurant, Jamin, in Paris in 1981. It was awarded three Michelin stars within three years, at the time the fastest restaurant in history to achieve the top accolade.
He is credited with reinventing French cuisine, confounding his customers' expectations by moving beyond the boundaries of Escoffier-inspired classical cooking, and transforming the modest and the rustic into the luxurious and fashionable.
He was crowned Chef of the Century by French restaurant guide Gault et Millau in 1989 and in 2009 picked up the Lifetime Achievement Award at the World's 50 Best Restaurants awards.
The chef opened his second Paris site Restaurant Joël Robuchon in 1994, which also went on to win three stars.
Robuchon announced his retirement aged 50 in the mid 1990s, but returned to the culinary scene in the early 2000s to launch restaurants bearing his name around the world.
His London restaurant L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon opened in Covent Garden in 2006, and it has held a Michelin star ever since.
As well as being a successful restaurateur, Robuchon taught and inspired some of the best chefs in the world today, including Gordon Ramsay, Michael Caines and Eric Ripert.
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