West Ham said it was with “deep sadness and the heaviest of hearts” that their “legendary player, coach and manager” had passed away peacefully on Sunday morning.
The club added: “A period of appreciation to honour Billy will be held before kick-off at today’s Premier League home fixture v Liverpool, and a full tribute will take place at our next home fixture against Aston Villa, on Sunday, 14 December.
“Further tributes will also appear across club channels in the coming days.
“Rest in peace Billy, our courageous, inspirational, lion-hearted leader.”
Bonds, who played as a defender and midfielder, joined West Ham from Charlton Athletic for £47,000 in May 1967 and, along with the FA Cup successes, he also won the old second division title with the club.
He made his final appearance in April 1988 aged 41 and Bonds, who received an MBE for services to football in the same year, went on to take over as Hammers manager in 1990.
Bonds, who never played for England, twice won promotion into English football’s top division and left West Ham in 1994 “after 27 years of impeccable service”.
He was given the club’s first ever lifetime achievement award in 2013 and, five years later, the Hammers fans voted him their greatest ever player.
In 2019, Bonds had a stand at West Ham’s London Stadium home named after him as he joined fellow club greats Bobby Moore and Sir Trevor Brooking in being recognised in this way.
“It’s a great honour and means so much to me and my family,” he said at the time.
“To think that I am only the third West Ham player to receive this honour after Bobby Moore and Trevor Brooking – you can’t get better than that.”
