Australian cricket legend, Shane Warne, was found unresponsive in his hotel room in Thailand following a suspected heart attack. Video / AP / Getty / NZ Herald
It seems a fitting memorial to Australian cricket legend Shane Warne.
Following his death in Thailand on Friday, fans have gathered at Warne's statue outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground placing not just flowers but also beer, cigarettes, pies and cans of baked beans.
Warne's reported love of baked beans was came about in the 1998 tour of India when he said he was only eating the canned goods because he wasn't used to the local spicy cuisine. A reported 1,900 tins of baked beans were then shipped out to Warne and the side.
Floral and beer tributes are seen resting at the base of the Shane Warne statue outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Photo / Getty
The Victorian state government, which has offered Warne's family a state funeral, announced Saturday that the Great Southern Stand at the MCG would be renamed the S.K. Warne Stand - "a permanent tribute to an amazing Victorian."
A man places a set of cricket stumps and a photos at the statue of cricket legend Shane Warne outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Photo / AP
Ordinary, everyday Aussies shed tears. Mick Jagger, Elton John, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe were among the celebrities mourning Warne's death — not as if his incredible career achievements needed any exclamation points from the entertainment industry. But they were there in abundance.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan said it best for many of his fellow cricketers past and present.
"Shane was the greatest-ever cricketer but more than that his character lit up every dressing room ... bar, golf club & friendship group ... his energy & positivity was beyond anyone I have ever known .. he was loyal beyond loyal," Vaughan said on Instagram.
"Everyone wanted to be around him but ultimately he was just a normal guy who could do incredible things."
Beer cans are left as tributes at the base of the Shane Warne statue outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Photo / Getty
The Australian test team was told of Warne's death following play on the first day of the series-opening test match against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. On Saturday, there was a moment of silence before play began on the second day.
"We all grew up watching Warnie, idolizing him," Australia captain Pat Cummins said. "What we loved so much about Warnie was his showmanship, his charisma, his tactics, the way he willed himself and the team around him to win games for Australia."
The Australian and England women's teams also wore black armbands for their Cricket World Cup clash at Seddon Park on Saturday.
'Come on, Shane'
A Thailand paramedic has opened up on the efforts to revive cricket legend Shane Warne after he suffered a fatal heart attack last Friday.
Warne passed away aged 52 in Koh Samui, Thailand on Friday night.
Paramedic Anuch Han-iam told The Sun that Warne was unresponsive by the time help arrived at the two-storey villa at the Samujan resort at 5pm local time.
"Shane's friends were already trying to bring him back to life," he said.
"I took over doing CPR while we waited for an ambulance.
"They were desperate. I think one was crying. They were really stressed and panicked.
"They kept trying to wake him and I heard someone saying, 'Come on, Shane. Come on, Shane'.
Cricket legend Shane Warne passed away aged 52 in Koh Samui, Thailand on Friday night. Photo / Getty Images
"I could see they were all shocked and I just tried to concentrate and do my best.
Han-iam told the Sun the villa looked very clean.
"There were about four or five other people in the room. All men, there were no women.
"The villa was clean and I didn't see any beer or cigarettes inside.
"There was nothing unusual that made me think they'd been partying. I didn't know when I arrived that it was Shane Warne. But I know who he is, he's a star.
"I did my best for him and gave all my energy. I'm so sorry that I couldn't help him."
Extreme diet
Speaking with Australian TV show Nine's Today, Warne's long-time manager James Erskine said Warne had finished a fluid-only diet for two weeks.
"He did go on these ridiculous sort of diets … and was just finished one, where he basically only ate fluids for 14 days, and he'd done this three or four times.
"He was a bit all or nothing, it was either white buns with butter and lasagne stuffed in the middle, or he'd be basically having these black or green juices," Erskine said.
"I just think it was a massive heart attack, I think that's what's happened," he said.
Thai police have also revealed Warne was suffering chest pains before he left Australia for a holiday in Thailand.
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.
Colonel Sirisombat said it was these family revelations — and a review of CCTV footage — that led police to rule out any foul play in the father-of-three's death.
Warne's body has been sent to Suratthani Hospital for an autopsy, as his family fights for it to be returned to Australia as soon as possible.
"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."
'He hated drugs'
A masseuse had visited Warne on Friday but police were not clear on what time of the day.
Around 5.15pm he was found face down on his bed after a suspected heart attack by close friend Andrew Neophitou, who was an executive producer on a recently released documentary on Warne's life.
The first day of the Test match between Australian and Pakistan was playing on the television in his room.
"They were meant to meet some people at 5pm. Neo was next door, he's always on time," Warne's long-time manager James Erskine told The Age.
"He realised he wasn't well. He tried to give mouth-to-mouth, tried to resuscitate him, he had no heartbeat, the ambulance came 20 minutes later and an hour and a bit later he was pronounced dead."
Police confirmed no drugs were found in the room but took samples from a water bottle.
Erskine rejected any claims Warne's death was linked to his reputation as a man who liked to party. He was visiting close friend Gareth Edwards, a poker-playing mate who runs the resort, to begin what was supposed to be a three-month trip.
"He was on holiday, having a lie down, siesta, he hadn't been drinking, he'd been on this diet to lose weight," he said.
"He didn't drink much. Everyone thinks he's a big boozer but he's not a big boozer at all. I sent him a crate of wine, 10 years later it's still there. He doesn't drink, never took drugs, ever. He hated drugs, so nothing untoward."
It came after Aussie cricket great Ian Healy said he was not surprised by Warne's premature death.
Healy said he was worried Warne would have been battling cancer at a young age.
"An early passing didn't surprise me for Warnie," Healy told The Today Show on Saturday.
"He didn't look after his body that well. He yo-yoed up and down.
"He didn't put much sunscreen on. I thought it would have become skin issues for him over time, but not at 52. And he would have been full of beans right to the end, I bet."
