Shane Warne’s tragic death: Latest details from Thailand
New details have emerged on the tragic death of Shane Warne. This is what we know so far.
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Shane Warne - one of the greatest players in the history of cricket - died while on holiday in Thailand on Friday, local time. He was 52.
This is what we know so far.
How did Shane Warne die?
Shane Warne had suffered chest pains before he left Australia, his family told Thai Police.
Police Colonel Yuthana Sirisombat, director of Bo Phut Provincial Police station in Koh Samui, revealed on Saturday night Warne had a history of heart disease and asthma.
He said that Warne’s family had spoken to police in Thailand and revealed that there had been concerns about his health before he left Australia earlier this week.
Colonel Sirisombat said interviews with family had led police to believe that Warne’s death was not suspicious, according to a translation of a late night press conference in Thailand.
Warne’s body was to be sent to Suratthani Hospital on Sunday for an autopsy, Colonel Sirisombat said.
His remains would then be sent to Australia, but Thai police were unable to give a timeline.
Police confirmed there were no drugs found in his room.
A masseuse had visited Warne on Friday but police were not clear on what time of day.
Shane Warne’s manager has revealed chilling details of the spin king’s shock death, detailing how he was found unresponsive in his Thailand villa.
Warne’s long-term manager James Erskine has told the ‘Remembering Shane Warne’ special on Fox Cricket of the moment the Australian cricket legend was found by a colleague after running late for an engagement.
“I got a phone call at 10.37 last night from our guy in Melbourne called Andrew Neophitou, who was actually with Shane in Thailand,” Erskine told Fox Cricket.
“Shane had sort of decided he was going to have three months off and in fact he wanted a year off, and I said, ‘There’s no way you can have a year off, they would’ve forgotten you by a year’, so he decided to have three months off.
“And this was just the start of it, and they’d only arrived the day or night before.
“They were going to have a drink at 5pm or go and meet someone to go out and have a drink at 5pm, and Neo knocked on his door at 5.15 because Warnie is always on time.
“And he went in there and said, ‘Come on, you’re going to be late’ and then realised something was wrong.
“And he turned him over and gave him CPR and mouth to mouth, which lasted about 20 minutes and then the ambulance came.
“They took him to the hospital, which was about a 20-minute drive and I got a phone call about 45 minutes later saying he was pronounced dead.”
It is suspected Warne died of a massive heart attack.
Where did Shane Warne die?
He was staying at the Samujana Villas in Koh Samui, Thailand.
Late on Saturday night Thai police released photos of Warne’s hotel room where he died.
They also revealed new details of the cricket champion’s death.
Police found blood stains on three towels and a pillow, and two further blood stains on the carpet.
They are believed to be the result of Warne coughing up blood as his friends desperately tried to revive him.
There were no reports of alcohol bottles in the room, with Warne watching cricket on television before planning to head out for a drink on Friday evening with friends.
Forensic police, who took photographs of the room at 1.30pm local time on Saturday (5.30pm AEDT) took samples from two water bottles for testing.
Satit Polpinit, commander of Surat Thani Provincial Police, said police were looking for CCTV from around the time that Warne was found on Friday.
What happens now?
Australian officials will fly to Thailand on Saturday to retrieve the body of the cricket legend.
Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne confirmed Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials had been in touch with Warne’s travelling companions, and would travel to Koh Samui to “provide further assistance”.
Warne has been taken to a local hospital for an autopsy, and will then be repatriated ahead of an expected state funeral.
Warne’s children are in ‘complete shock’, describing the sudden death as a ‘bad dream’.
Warne’s long-time manager Erskine, on Saturday, spoke to Warne’s three kids, Jackson, Brooke and Summer, as well as ex-wife Simone Callahan, and tragically described their emotional state.
“I think the three children are in complete shock,” Erskine said on commercial television.
“I spoke to them yesterday and … Jackson just said, ‘We expect him to walk in the door. This is like a bad dream’.”
Warne’s parents have spoken of their heartbreak.
Just hours after his death was confirmed via a statement from his manager, Warne’s mother Brigitte shared a few words with heraldsun.com.au.
“We’re just in shock,” she said outside of their home in the Melbourne bayside suburb of Black Rock, before adding “we’re OK”.
Warne’s family has been offered a state funeral by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews.
“To us, he was the greatest – but to his family, he was so much more,” Mr Andrews said.
“Our hearts are breaking for Shane’s family and friends – and they are in the thoughts of all Victorians.
“I have offered a state funeral to his family so Victorians can pay tribute to his legacy and contribution to our state, community and country.”
Just how good was Shane Warne?
Warne was one of the greatest cricketers to ever play the game - and one of the greatest sports stars Australia has produced.
Wisden named him among the top five players of the 20th Century.
His stats are incredible.
He played 145 Tests for Australia and 194 one-day internationals.
He bowled 40,705 balls in Test cricket for 708 wickets at an average of 25.41.
He took five wickets in an innings 37 times, with the best figures of 8/71.
He took 10 wickets in a match 10 times.
He scored 3154 Test runs with a top score of 99.
About Shane Warne
Warne was born in Upper Ferntree Gully on Melbourne’s eastern outskirts on September 13, 1969.
He went to Hampton High School and earned a sport scholarship to Mentone Grammar.
After his life in cricket, Warne was a commentator for Nine, Sky Sports and Fox Cricket.
He held many endorsements, including for Advanced Hair.
Among many investments, he was an investor in SevenZeroEight gin.
He had three children with his first wife Simone Callahan.
He dated actor Elizabeth Hurley, the pair engaged for several years before calling it off.
Tributes to Shane Warne
Tributes to Warne have come in from around the world.
From world leaders such as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
From rock stars such as Mick Jagger.
From former on-field foes who became friends, such as Ian Botham.
Below is a selection of premium, long-form tribute stories on CODE Sports for subscribers.
Not yet a subscriber to CODE Sports? Read all about Australia’s new premium sports-only news site and app by clicking this link.
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ALASTAIR COOK: What happened when I called out Warnie
SIMON WILDE, THE TIMES: How Warne inflicted England’s most traumatic loss
ADAM GILCHRIST: The hidden quality behind Warnie’s magic
MIKE ATHERTON: Even in a team of greats, he was a cut above the rest
DANIEL CHERNY: Why Shane Warne was Australia’s Peter Pan
ROBERT CRADDOCK: Behind the scenes of life on the road with Warnie
STEVE JAMES: I knew I’d lost even before I faced my first ball from the mesmeric Shane Warne
SIMON WILDE, THE TIMES: England farewells it’s great, blond, Ashes foe
PETER LALOR: The only thing that matched Shane Warne’s extraordinary talent was his charisma
PIERS MORGAN: Warnie wasn’t like the rest of us
ROLLING NEWS COVERAGE: The world mourns Shane Warne
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