McBride, who played for the Hoops between June 1965 and November 1968, passed away at Glasgow Royal Infirmary having suffered a suspected stroke at the weekend, Celtic confirmed.
Best known for his goalscoring exploits at Celtic between 1965-1968, McBride scored a staggering 86 goals in 94 games for the club.
He won two league titles and a couple of League Cups at Celtic Park but was not part of the famous Lisbon Lions side that became the first British team to win the European Cup in 1967. He suffered a mid-season injury which ruled him out of rest of the campaign, having already scored 35 goals in 26 games.
Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell paid tribute to McBride, who had also worked as an ambassador for the club. "The passing of Joe McBride is tragic news," he told celticfc.net.
"Joe was a very fine man, an absolute gentleman and someone who gave tremendous service to the club over a number of years.
"It was a privilege to know Joe and it was fantastic that someone who gave so much to Celtic was still involved with the club in a number of ways - he will truly be sadly missed by everyone at Celtic."
Current Celtic boss Neil Lennon also offered the sympathies of everyone at the club.
"The loss of Joe is terrible news. It was a pleasure to be in Joe's company and on a personal level, Joe was someone who was always very supportive to myself," he said.
Former Celtic team-mate Tommy Gemmell also paid his respects to the prolific frontman, telling The Sun: "It was easy to see why the Celtic supporters took to him. He was one of their own and a real man's man in the dressing room and out on the pitch."
Source: PA
Source: PA