Watch: Australian cricket superstar Shane Warne was farewelled at private funeral

Watch: Australian cricket superstar Shane Warne was farewelled at private funeral

Web Desk
March 20, 2022

Watch: Australian cricket superstar Shane Warne was farewelled at private funeral

MELBOURNE: Former fiancee Elizabeth Hurley expressed her “heart aches” for not being able to attend the private funeral of Shane Warne on Sunday, which was attended by family and friends.

On March 4, the great leg spinner’s body was discovered at a luxurious resort in Thailand, and his death from a suspected heart attack at the age of 52 sparked shock and mourning from prime leaders, rock stars, and other players all around the world.

Warne died of natural causes, according to an autopsy, and was flown home to Melbourne by a private jet last week.

He was honoured at an invitation-only funeral on Sunday at St Kilda Football Club, an Australian Rules team he had always loved.

Brooke, Jackson, and Summer Warne, as well as fellow cricketers, local media stars, and his close-knit poker circle, were among the mourners.

His coffin was given a lap of honour at St Kilda’s home stadium as family members marched behind him and the song “The Time of My Life” from the film “Dirty Dancing” played over loudspeakers.

As the hearse departed the ground, Tina Turner’s “Simply The Best” played.

Outside the event, his close friend and television broadcaster Eddie McGuire, who offered a eulogy, told the Herald Sun newspaper, “He brought together so many things.”

“The reason why he was so loved is because he was fallible, he was Superman.

“The magic part about Shane Warne was that he sprinkled his gold dust everywhere he went. He didn’t become a hermit, he brought his friends into everything in life,” McGuire added.

Mark Taylor, Ian Healy, Mark Waugh, Michael Clarke, and Glenn McGrath were among the Australian teammates who attended the service, as was ex-England captain Michael Vaughan.

However, Hurley, Warne’s former girlfriend, said she will be unable to attend the commemoration of a larger-than-life character who transcended his sport.

“My heart aches that I can’t be in Australia tomorrow for Shane’s funeral,” Hurley wrote on Instagram late Saturday. “I was filming last night and, with the time jump, physically can’t get there.”

She sent images of the pair celebrating their engagement in Sri Lanka with her letter.

They started dating after Warne divorced his children’s mother, Simone Callahan, but they split up in late 2013.

“It still hasn’t really sunk in that he’s gone,” Hurley added.

“It seems too cruel that all the people who loved him will never have another Lion hug, but our memories will live forever. RIP Lionheart, with love, your Luna.”

On March 30, the public will be able to pay their respects to Warne in a state monument at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which is likely to draw tens of thousands of fans.

Chris Martin of Coldplay will apparently perform a musical tribute from afar, with Elton John and Ed Sheeran sending tributes.

The national anthem will be performed by Greta Bradman, granddaughter of renowned Australian batsman Donald Bradman, according to the Sydney Daily Telegraph.

Warne will have a stand at the famed cricket ground named after him, as he is firmly ensconced in Australia’s sporting pantheon, second only to Bradman in many people’s minds.

Shane Warne, who is credited with revitalising leg-spin bowling, gained 708 Test wickets as part of a dominating Australian Test squad in the 1990s and 2000s before becoming a respected commentator, is credited with rejuvenating the art of leg-spin bowling.