Bangkok: Police in Thailand said Monday that an autopsy conducted on the body of Australian cricket star Shane Warne has revealed that he died of natural causes. A statement was issued to this effect by deputy national police spokesperson Kissana Pathanacharoen. It said the opinion issued by the doctor who carried out the autopsy has been conveyed to Warne’s family and the Australian Embassy. The statement said the family did not have any doubt that the 52-year-old cricketer, widely considered one of the sport’s greatest spin bowlers, died of natural causes.
The statement, issued ahead of a planned police news conference, did not specify the cause of death. Preliminary evaluations from Thai authorities suggested Shane Warne died from a heart attack.
Warne was found unresponsive Friday in his hotel room on the Thai resort island of Samui. He could not be revived at a nearby hospital. His body was transferred Sunday to the Thai mainland for an official autopsy at a state hospital.
Warne’s family released a statement Monday. It said the day of his death was for them the beginning of ‘a never-ending nightmare’.
“Looking to a future without Shane is inconceivable. Hopefully the mountain of happy memories we all have will help us cope with our ongoing grief,” his father and mother, Keith and Brigitte, wrote.
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They said the family has accepted the offer of a state funeral. They also said they are grateful that a section of the Melbourne Cricket Ground will be renamed the SK Warne Stand in honour of their son. “As everyone knows, Shane was an extremely proud Victorian and Australian,” Warne’s parents said.
Warne’s son, Jackson, wrote: “I don’t think anything is ever going to fill the void you have left in my heart. You were truly the best father and mate anyone could’ve asked for.”
There was however, no immediate information about when Warne’s body would be sent home to Australia.