His family confirmed the news in a statement, saying he died peacefully surrounded by loved ones on Tuesday.
"He leaves behind his devoted wife of 57 years, Joyce, his children David, Megan, and Chrissy, their partners Shar, Dobbo, and Morne, and his adored grandchildren Tom, Ruby, Scarlett, Ollie, Jack, and Bella," the family statement read.
Bell served 33 years in the New Zealand Police, rising to the rank of Detective Inspector and leading some of the country's most high-profile criminal investigations.
Police Ten 7 first hit TV screens in 2002. Bell retired from the police in 2001 but continued to serve the public through his work on Police Ten 7, which he hosted for more than a decade, until 2014.
"Bell – a retired Detective Inspector – was an avuncular grouch who earnt the respect of the viewers," Stuff TV reviewer Graeme Tuckett wrote in 2023.
"No matter how salty Bell was in describing the 'lunatic scumbags' and 'gutless morons' who featured each week, there was also no hiding that Bell had a real love of community and the best interests of the victims at heart."
Before his TV role, Bell led investigations into some of New Zealand’s most harrowing crimes. In 1998, he led a team of 60 officers probing the violent home invasion and murder of Reporoa woman Beverly Bouma — one of 19 murder cases he oversaw during his career.
A review in 2021 concluded that the show's "goodies-versus-baddies" format wasn't working anymore – and that Bell's "provocative language" had been unhelpful.
The show was given a new presenter and a new name, but eventually pulled in 2023.
