Australian cricket legend, Shane Warne, was found unresponsive in his hotel room in Thailand following a suspected heart attack. Video / AP / Getty / NZ Herald
Shane Warne's long-time manager has revealed how the cricket legend's family reacted to news of his death as the world comes to terms with the tragedy.
James Erskine had earlier revealed details about Warne's final moments and on Sunday explained how Warne's nearest and dearest took the news of his passing from a suspected heart attack in Thailand.
Erskine said Warne's ex-wife Simone was "really upset" as their three kids Jackson, Brooke and Summer now face life without their dad.
"I think the three children are in complete shock," Erskine told Weekend Today. "I spoke to them yesterday and again today.
"Jackson just said, 'We just expect him to walk in the door. This is like a bad dream'.
"I spoke to Simone, who was really upset, and obviously Keith, Shane's father, is a pretty strong individual but, like everybody he's just shattered. They can't believe what's happened.
"I think that's what happens when you have a sudden death and you're not expecting it. One minute the kids are talking to him every day, the next minute they can't talk to him and then they start thinking about, 'He's not going to be there for my 21st, he's not going to take me down the aisle'.
Warne loved his kids more than anything in the world. Photo / Supplied
"All of those sorts of things go through your head. They are having a much harder time than anybody really."
Warne's mother Brigitte had earlier told The Herald Sun: "We're just in shock. We're OK."
Thai police revealed Warne was suffering chest pains before he left Australia for a holiday in Koh Samui.
Police Colonel Yuthana Sirisombat told reporters on Saturday night his family had informed them of the late cricket legend's history of heart disease and asthma and their concern about his health before he left Australia last week.
The 52-year-old had recently "seen a doctor about his heart", Sirisombat said.
Erskine was unaware of the extent of those issues, saying: "I didn't know about that. I did know from Helen, his secretary, that he'd had a bit of a chest pain and also was sweating last week but I only found that later on after he'd died. I didn't know that at the time.
"He did go on these ridiculous sorts of diets, and he was just finished one, where he basically only ate fluids for 14 days and he'd done this three or four times. It was a bit ... all or nothing. It was either white buns with butter and lasagne stuffed in the middle or he would be having black and green juices.
"I don't know, he obviously smoked most of his life. I don't know, I think it was just a massive heart attack. That's what I think's happened."
New photographs have emerged of where Warne was staying at the Samujana Villas resort, with various reports claiming blood stains were seen on the carpet and on three towels and a pillow, reportedly from the Spin King during the desperate attempts made to save his life.
Shane Warne died of a suspected heart attack. Photo / Supplied
"A large amount of blood was found in the room," Pol Maj Gen Satit Polpinit, commander of Surat Thani Provincial Police, told Thai newspaper Matichon. "When CPR was started, the deceased had coughed up liquid and was bleeding."
On Saturday Erskine opened up on the harrowing details of Warne's death, as friend Andrew Neophitou tried in vain to resuscitate the Aussie icon.
"They'd only arrived the night before. They were going to have a drink at 5 o'clock … and Neo knocked on his door at 5.15 because Warnie's always on time and then he went in there and said 'c'mon, you're going to be late' and then realised something was wrong," Erskine told Fox Sports.
"He turned him over, gave him CPR mouth-to-mouth, that lasted about 20 minutes, then obviously the ambulance came, they took him to the hospital, which was about 20 minutes drive and then within, I suppose, I got a phone call 45 minutes later to say he was pronounced dead.
"It's one of these things where someone said to me that when someone is larger than life, you don't expect them to die. I think that's probably a very good analogy. You don't expect someone to die at 52 years old. You don't expect Shane Warne to die because he was an extraordinary human being."
