The number eight was capped 15 times at international level, touring Australia and New Zealand and skippering the side during the 1965 Five Nations.
Perry featured for Cambridge in the 1958 Varsity match, before going on to play for Bedford between 1962 and 1966.
He made 105 appearances and scored 115 points for Bedford. A Bedford statement said: "The club extends its deepest sympathy to David's family."
Former England rugby union captain David Perry has died at the age of 79.