Shane Warne’s body prepared for autopsy, as global tributes flow in from Imran Khan and Virat Kohli to Russell Crowe and Ed Sheeran
- Warne, who died of a suspected heart attack, will after the autopsy be flown back to Australia, where he will receive a state funeral
- The ‘King’ of spin’s unexpected passing sparked a global outpouring of grief from prime ministers, rock stars and fellow players
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Thai authorities were on Sunday preparing to conduct an autopsy on the body of Australian cricket superstar Shane Warne, who died of a suspected heart attack, before flying him home where he will receive a state funeral.
Police said there was no foul play suspected in the 52-year-old’s death after he was found unresponsive in a luxury villa on Thai holiday island Koh Samui late on Friday.
The “King” of spin’s unexpected passing sparked a global outpouring of grief from prime ministers, rock stars and fellow players, an acknowledgement that the Melbourne native transcended his sport.
Police rule out foul play after suspected heart attack kills Shane Warne at 52
On Sunday, Warne’s three children reacted to his death, with friend and manager James Erskine saying they were “in complete shock”.
“Jackson [Warne’s son] just said, ‘We expect him to walk in the door. This is like a bad dream’,” Erskine told Australia’s Channel Nine.
Warne had Jackson, Summer and Brooke with Simone Callahan, to whom he was married for 10 years until they divorced in 2005.
The player – one of the greatest Test cricketers of all time – was found unresponsive in a Samujana resort villa on Friday after failing to meet friends.
Warne was taken to the Thai International Hospital Samui at about 6pm, but his management said despite medical efforts “he could not be revived”.
Officers on the holiday island said on Saturday that “no foul play was suspected” following an initial investigation and confirmed Warne’s body would be transported to Surat Thani for an autopsy.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday led tributes to one of the country’s “greatest characters” and announced Warne would receive a full state funeral.
Victoria state premier Daniel Andrews said Warne’s family had accepted, and that the funeral would be “an opportunity for Victorians to pay tribute to his contribution to his sport, to our state and the country”.
Over the weekend, fans gathered at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to lay flowers and some unusual offerings – among them cigarettes, beer and meat pies – to remember a unique cricketing talent.
Warne’s former fiancee, actress Elizabeth Hurley, said on Instagram the “sun has gone behind a cloud forever”, adding: “RIP my beloved Lionheart.”
International cricketers also mourned his passing, with India batting great Sachin Tendulkar tweeting of his ex-rival: “Shocked, stunned & miserable... Will miss you Warnie. There was never a dull moment with you around.”
Pakistan leader and ex-player Imran Khan paid his respects to “a bowling genius”, while former Australia teammate Adam Gilchrist said he was “numb”.
Virat Kohli, the former captain of India’s cricket team, said Warne had gone “far too early” and would “surely be missed”.
“I got to know him off the field, and I understood the persona and charisma he brought to every conversation he was a part of,” he said. “Any conversation you had with him, you could see the passion he had when he spoke ... [I’m] very grateful to have known him.”
Tributes also came in beyond the sporting world from Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, singer Ed Sheeran, to actors Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman.
Credited with reviving the art of leg-spin, Warne was part of a dominant Australian Test team in the 1990s and 2000s and helped his country win the 1999 limited-overs World Cup.
His tally of 708 Test wickets has been surpassed only by fellow spinner Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka.
Bursting onto the scene as a brash young player with a shock of blond hair, Warne became almost as well known for his colourful life away from cricket as he was for his exploits on the field.
The first bowler to take 700 Test wickets with an assortment of leg-breaks, googlies, flippers and his own “zooters”, Warne retired from Australia duty in 2007 following a 5-0 series win at home to arch-rivals England.
Warne played 145 Tests in total over a 15-year career, taking 708 wickets, and was also a useful lower-order batsman, with a highest Test score of 99.
He was a “hero” to the current generation of cricketers, said Australian captain Pat Cummins. “The loss that we are all trying to wrap our heads around is huge,” he said.
