Mallett was a fan favourite in the golden era of Australian cricket under the captaincy of Ian Chappell.
The finger spinner was the understated side-kick to the feared Australian bowling attack of the 1970s — famously remembered as the era of fast-bowling demons Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson.
His rare athleticism and skill while fielding in the gully created a legacy and a new standard for future generations of Australian cricketers in the field.
He featured in significant test series victories overseas against India and was part of the victorious Ashes team from the 1974-75 series.
His list of records — which includes his famous figures of 8/59 against Pakistan at Adelaide Oval in 1972 — backs up his reputation of being one of the best finger spinners Australia has ever seen.
Chappell on Friday night was among the first members of the Australian cricket fraternity to pay tribute to his former teammate.
"He was a much loved teammate, he'll be sorely missed," Chappell told nine.com.au.
"A measure of how good he was, he reached 100 Test wickets in 23 matches, which is the same number of games as Shane Warne."
He remains a popular figure in Australian cricket through his ponderings as an author, where he has had two books published on his reflections on the sport and his career as a cricketer.
He was also the co-author of Aussie cricket legend Victor Trumper's biography.
He is also remembered for his affectionate nickname "Rowdy" — bestowed on him for his choirboy temperament and baby-faced assassin sportsmanship while playing in one of the toughest Australian cricket teams ever assembled.
Tributes flooding in for giant of Australian cricket
Cricket commentators have been taking to social media to post their tributes to Mallett, who also played nine one-day internationals for Australia.
Aussie cricket legend Jason Gillespie was among many to offer condolences to Mallett's friends and family over the "awful" news.
Cricket reporter Andrew Faulkner posted on Twitter: "Vale Rowdy. Thanks for your generosity and kindness. And for your Nugget book. And for your unfailing belief in attacking spin. I'm sad".
Veteran cricket writer Greg Baum posted on Twitter: "This is sad. A unique character in Australian cricket. RIP".
Network 10 sports host Stephen Quartermain wrote: "One of my childhood cricket heroes. Wily off-spinner. Unbelievable gully fieldsman. Great writer."
