Shane's children Summer, Jackson and Brooke Warne shared emotional tributes to their late father at his State Memorial service. Video / Department of Premier and Cabinet Victoria
A crowd of more than 50,000 has gathered at the MCG to farewell cricket legend Shane Warne, with Hollywood A-listers, cricket legends, family and friends paying tribute to the King of Spin.
There's been an outpouring of grief since the Spin King died after suffering a heart attack aged 52 in Thailand earlier this month, but the focus of his public memorial was on celebrating a life most could only dream of.
Warne's children — Brooke, Jackson and Summer — have delivered emotional tributes to their legendary father.
Warne's children break down in emotional tributes
The three children have paid tribute to their dad, speaking through tears to honour their father.
Summer started: "There is comfort in knowing how loved around the world he was and still is. How he inspired so many of you to play cricket and bowl leg spin. He touched so many people's lives and always wanted to help and support people in any way he could.
"When I was struggling, and I didn't know how to go on with life because I was dealing with my own demons, you showed me how I could fall in love with life again. You told me that I could either live with these demons or fight with them and come out stronger at the end.
"I really am going to miss you Dad. It has been exactly 26 days since you went to heaven and I miss you more than anything in the whole world.
"I never thought one's voice to bring such comfort until I can no longer hear it. I've had to come to terms with the fact that you won't be able to walk down the aisle on my special day. You're going to meet your grandchildren that you're going to have some day, but instead you will be someone I will tell my kids about and how much of an amazing father you were to me. How good of a grandfather you would have made and how they would have loved and adored you just like I do.
"You will always live forever inside my heart Dad, and I will continue your legacy. Forever my Dad, no matter where you are. May you now rest in eternal paradise."
Jackson continued: "You were the best Dad anyone could have asked for and you were my best friend.
"Time with you went way too fast. It feels just like yesterday that we were looking at each other's cards playing poker, eating pizza while watching the Saints.
"You were so proud of me. Although I didn't go down the cricket path, you didn't mind. You just wanted the best for me."
Brooke finished: "I will miss grabbing your big wrists and feeling your hands and saying that I have big fat fingers just like you. I will miss our chats just about how big our double chins are and how big our bellies are looking especially after we've just eaten our body weight in cheese, pizza and pasta.
"I will miss our chats about life and about my plans and goals and I will miss hearing about all your exciting things you have planned and have coming up. I will miss seeing how excited you get over our achievements and your achievements.
"I have to come to the fact that my Dad will never get to see me grow up or Jackson or Summer or see us get married one day, have kids and get the promotion I was going for. I could go on forever about what we're going to miss out on, but nothing would be more upsetting about how much I already miss you.
"But what makes me the saddest is, I will never get to wrap my arms around you and give you the biggest hug and rest my chin on your chest. Dad was our shining star in life and now he's shining down on all of us. We will do you so proud, Dad."
Warne's brother pays tribute
Jason Warne has spoken about his brother, remembering what the leg-spinner meant to him.
"The impact my brother had during his remarkable life, it's always been really difficult to comprehend," he started.
"Although the last few weeks and the tributes and tonight has brought it all into sharp focus. Shane has connected with us all in many ways. Whether it being entertained by his amazing exploits on the cricket ground, through the time he spent and putting a smile on the face of many children, or the times he's met you in person, made you feel special.
"The friendly but fierce brotherly rivalry we had and shared for 50 years will never be replaced and will be sorely missed. He was the best brother I could have asked for."
Jason Warne, brother of Shane Warne speaks during a memorial service for Shane. Photo / AP
Afterwards, music superstar Ed Sheeran performed Thinking Out Loud in a video tribute.
The Little Master speaks
Indian great Sachin Tendulkar, one of Warne's biggest rivals on the cricket field, sent in a video message for the memorial service.
"Warnie, I remember was always extremely competitive and everything possible to disturb opposition, to dismiss them, he would do," Tendulkar said.
"When someone batted well he was the first one to walk up to you and congratulate. That is how our friendship and respect for each other was. Warnie, my friend, I will miss you. I will miss you big time. You will continue to live in my heart. May your soul rest in peace."
England icon Ian Botham and Australian teammate Glenn McGrath also paid tribute.
Rock music fills the MCG
Music legend Jon Stevens performed a series of Warne's favourite songs accompanied by a rock band at the MCG.
After a powerful rendition of the INXS hit Never Tear Us Apart, Stevens belted out Take Me Back by Noiseworks.
Following the performance, a panel of close friends recalled what Warne was like as a person off the field.
Dimitri Mascarenhas, Aaron Hamill, Glenn Robbins and Sam Newman discussed their memories on the golf course with Warne.
Soon after, pop icon Robbie Williams performed a rendition of 1997 hit song Angels, accompanied by a keyboard in a candle-lit room.
"He dismantled England too many times, Williams said.
"Everybody on the planet who have seen him play and experienced Warnie being Warnie, thinks he's one of us. Very few people on the planet can do that. And he's one of them. A very special man. Very special talent."
Coldplay singer pays tribute
Chris Martin, the voice of Coldplay and close mate of Warne, penned and performed a piece which was played at the MCG via video.
The piece was simply titled "eulogy".
It featured Martin on piano, accompanied by strings and horns.
The British star then performed Coldplay's 2000 hit Yellow from South America, strumming on an acoustic guitar.
Musician Chris Martin performs a tribute by video during a memorial service for Shane Warne. Photo / AP
Australian golf icon Greg Norman then paid tribute to Waren with a video message: "Your passion, your energy and enthusiasm for life was second to none. I loved our conversations, as few as they were, but I loved them.
"Rest in peace, Warnie, you are one of the best human beings I have ever met."
Actress Dannii Minogue and surfing icon Kelly Slater also had video tributes to the cricketer.
'Way too soon': James Packer's message
Master of ceremonies Eddie McGuire read out a message from close friend James Packer and his family.
"The news of Shane Warne's passing has shocked and confounded us all.
"I'm deeply saddened and still coming to terms with it. My family were blessed to have Shane in our lives. He brought us so much warmth, happiness and joy.
"While Shane will be remembered for his exploits, I'll remember him as a hero, a friend, a man who was brilliant, vulnerable, lovely and fiercely loyal. I could sneak a smoke with him, listen to music and share stories, our successes and failures. He was wickedly funny, cheerful and fearless he was so very human. I'll miss those hugs forever.
"Shane brightened the world and brought joy to so many. Today we celebrate his life and ponder why the universe took him from us so soon. My deepest condolences to the Warne family. Rest in peace, my friend. We have lost your sunshine way too soon."
A panel including former cricket players, from second left, Allan Border, Mark Taylor, Merv Hughes, Nasser Hussain and Brian Lara tell stories during a memorial service for Shane Warne. Photo / AP
Cricket panel remember teammate, rival
A panel comprised of former cricketers Allan Border, Mark Taylor, Marv Hughes, Nasser Hussain and Brian Lara remember the legend, Shane Warne.
The quintet were asked to describe Warne is one word. Their responses were telling.
A performance by Elton John is projected onto screens during a memorial service for Shane Warne. Photo / AP
Celebrities pay tribute
Kyle Minogue, Hugh Jackson and Elton John have paid tribute to the cricket icon with video messages.
Jackman said: "Today we mourn not only in Australia but all over the world an incredible life and achievements of Shane Warne. But we also celebrate because Warnie, yes, one of the greatest cricketers to ever play the game, somehow as a human being reminded us to make the most of every single second. Man, he sucked the marrow out of life. He was a great teammate. He loved the game of cricket. He loved his friends and family. He loved life. There was no-one like you, Warnie and never will be again. We will miss you."
John performed an emotional rendition of Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me from the United States.
Keith Warne, father of Shane Warne, speaks during a memorial service for Shane Warne at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Photo / AP
Warne's father speaks
Warne's father, Keith, was the first speaker at the MCG.
"Friday, March 4, 2022, darkest day in our family's life," he started.
"It was a day that our son, Shane Keith Warne, was tragically and suddenly taken from us. Our family loss of a loved son, a loving brother to Jason and a devoted father to Brooke, Jackson and Summer. And the world lost a much-loved cricketing legend whose feats on and off the cricket field will go down in history for all time.
"Looking forward to a future without Shane is inconceivable. We do take comfort in knowing that Shane packed more in his life of 52 years, five months and 19 days than most people would in two lifetimes."
Memorial service underway
Warne's memorial service started with a minute's silence, followed by a quick video tribute and the Welcome To Country, performed by Wurundjeri Elder.
Greta Bradman, the granddaughter of cricket icon Sir Donald Bradman, sang an a cappella rendition of the Australian national anthem.
'No other better place in the whole world' to farewell dad - Jackson Warne
Warne's son Jackson said there is no better place to bid farewell to his late father than the MCG, where his memorial will be beamed live to cricket grounds around the country and watched by millions in Australia and around the world.
Jackson said there was "no other better place in the whole world" to hold the memorial than the MCG, where Warne created so many memories, including his Ashes hat-trick and 700th Test wicket.
"It's very special for a lot of us, especially our family," Jackson said.
"We've been lucky enough to come here (to the MCG) our whole lives and watch him play and put lots of hard work in on this very ground.
"Dad always loved a crowd, putting on a performance … I think, sad day as it is, with more people here it won't be as sad."
The Warne family has encouraged those attending to wear cricket gear — be it their own club whites, Australian jerseys or the leg-spin legend's famous No. 23 jersey.
Warne's close friend Eddie McGuire said the cricket great's loss really hit home while conducting a dress rehearsal on Tuesday night.
"There were a couple of times where a bit of video went up and it suddenly hit me right between the eyes," McGuire told The Today Show.
"You get into the mode of talking about these things and the family have given so much of themselves and suddenly it hits and you go, 'He's gone'."
A tribute for cricket legend Shane Warne is displayed on the big screens at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Photo / AP
Warne mixed with Mick Jagger and Elton John, bowled to Ed Sheeran in the practice nets at the spiritual home of cricket, and for a while was engaged to be married to Liz Hurley.
He had poker face for poker, a head for cricket and a knack for taking wickets and for making friends.
In the wake of his death from a suspected heart attack at the age of 52 in Thailand on March 4, "larger than life" was a typical description of the Australian leg-spin bowler from his fellow cricket stars, actors, comedians, musicians, politicians, personalities and everyday fans.
With his tinted blond hair, mischievous demeanour and competitive streak, Warne transcended a sport which, because of his prodigious talent, launched him into popular culture in the far-flung parts of the cricket world.
You can't bowl the so-called "ball of the century" — with which he dismissed England veteran Mike Gatting in 1993 at Manchester — without getting noticed in Britain, the Indian subcontinent, the Caribbean, southern Africa and Australasia.
Shane Warne leaves the field after taking his 700th test wicket during day one of the fourth Ashes Test Match between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26, 2006. Photo / Getty Images
A section at the vast MCG venue, where Warne produced some of his milestone moments — including taking his 700th wicket in test cricket in 2006, something he was the first to achieve, will be renamed in Warne's honour. A statue of Warne in a full delivery stride already stands outside the stadium and has become an unofficial place for people to reflect and lay tributes for the last three weeks.
Much of Warne's fame can be attributed to his instant success in the Ashes, the storied and intense cricket rivalry between England and Australia, a former colony, that dates back to the 1800s and has produced some of the iconic moments in the sport.
A leg-spinner — a kind of wrist-spin bowling that wasn't common at the highest levels of the game in the early 1990s — Warne was developing a reputation as a mystery bowler when he arrived in England for the 1993 Ashes series a little over a year into his international career.
Shane Warne in action during training at Ruakura Sports Club, Nairobi, Kenya on August 28, 2002. Photo / Getty Images
"I felt we had a weapon that no one else in world cricket had," Mark Taylor, a teammate on that tour and a future Australia captain, said in the Amazon Prime documentary "Shane" which was released weeks before Warne died.
With his very first delivery in Ashes cricket, Warne mesmerized Gatting by landing the ball on the pitch outside the batter's legs and spinning back hard across to hit the stumps.
The look of disbelief on Gatting's face said it all. The footage has been replayed millions of times. Warne said it changed his life at a young age, recalling how he'd walk around seeing kids imitating his bowling and having 20 photographers outside his hotel wherever he stayed in England.
Ian Botham, one of England's greatest ever cricketers, told the documentary that Warne "revolutionised the whole concept of test cricket. He was box office. He took the whole game by the scruff of the neck".
He certainly generated headlines, good and bad, particularly for the tabloids. He had affairs that led to the breakdown of his marriage to Simone Callahan, after the couple had three children. He was suspended from cricket for 12 months for taking a diuretic — he said it was contained in a diet pill he'd taken for weight loss — and he was reprimanded for giving pitch and weather information to a bookmaker.
But every time he stepped on the field, he was up for the contest, something fans and critics unanimously acknowledged. He retired from test cricket in 2007 with a then world record 708 wickets.
Warne often described himself as just a knockabout bloke, an ordinary Australian who liked a drink and a joke and who happened to discover a talent for spinning a leather ball.
TV commentator Eddie McGuire, who has been helping prepare the memorial service, is expecting a big crowd.
Shane Warne bows to the crowd at the end of day three of the fifth Ashes Test Match between Australia and England at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 4, 2007. Photo / Getty Images
The MCG has "held everything from Olympic Games to papal visits ... to the first ever test match between Australia and England in 1877," McGuire said. "Tomorrow night ... the MCG will again resonate around the world with something absolutely significant: and that is the farewell to the people's champion."
Warne's three children — Brooke, Jackson and Summer — will be on stage during the two-hour memorial which will be broadcast live across Australia and include the musical performances as well as video tributes from, among others, India's cricket great, Sachin Tendulkar.
Friends within the cricket fraternity and entertainers described him as loyal and always ready to help and would talk equally to people from all walks of life. He remained in cricket as a popular television pundit.
And he remained on good terms with Callahan, his wife of 10 years, and with Hurley, the British actress and model, despite their broken engagement.
"I feel like the sun has gone behind a cloud forever. RIP my beloved Lionheart," Hurley posted on Instagram after Warne's death was announced.
Chris Martin recalled how his band was making it big in England when he met Warne in an elevator and they bonded immediately.
"We ended up explaining cricket to an American person, which I think is a bonding experience," Martin said. "Because explaining cricket to anyone who didn't grow up with it is almost impossible."
In Sheeran's opinion, Warne was "one of the few rock-and-roll sportsmen."
