Australian cricket legend Shane Warne died suddenly from a heart attack aged 52 despite the frantic attempts of four friends who battled to save his life for 20 minutes, according to police.
Warne, considered the greatest leg spinner in history, was found unconscious in a villa in the resort of Koh Samui in Thailand on Friday.
Thai police revealed Warne was staying in the villa with four friends, and found him unresponsive when one of the group tried to wake him for food at around 5pm local time. The friends reportedly performed CPR on him for approximately 20 minutes before an ambulance arrived to take Warne to the Thai International Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police Senior Sergeant Major Suporn Hemruangsree confirmed the news: “Police received a report about somebody who died at the Thai International Hospital so we went and asked the hotel, and found out that the deceased was with four other friends and died in the room.
“In the villa, the people were sleeping in separate rooms. They were sleeping from afternoon to evening, until about 5pm. At 5pm somebody came to call out this person for dinner but the deceased did not respond so they called three other friends to perform CPR for 20 minutes. They waited for the ambulance to come.
“The doctor announced the death of the person at 6:53pm. Police went and checked the room and there was no sign of intrusion or possessions being searched through. The body was sent for an autopsy at Koh Samui Hospital.”
Warne's death was announced just 12 hours after he tweeted his shock at the death of Australia's great wicket keeper Rodney Marsh, who also died following a cardiac arrest.
Warne is said to have landed in Thailand yesterday and was seen chatting happily with fans at the airport. He is believed to have passed away at the luxurious Samujana Villas resort in Koh Samui.
Adored by millions around the world, the charismatic Warne is considered by many to be the greatest bowler to have played the game.
His illustrious international career spanned 15 years and saw him take 708 Test wickets - the most ever by an Australian and only behind Muttiah Muralitharan in the all-time standings - as well as the most wickets in Ashes history, with 195.
Warne’s management released a statement announcing the 52-year-old had passed away from a suspected heart attack in Koh Samui, Thailand.
“Shane was found unresponsive in his villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived,” the statement read. “The family requests privacy at this time and will provide further details in due course.”
Warne made his Test debut in 1993 against India in Sydney, despite only having played in seven first-class games at the time. Warne took just one wicket and conceded 150 runs as the match ended in a draw, and it was not until the following year's Ashes series that he officially announced himself as a superstar.
With his first ball of the series, Warne bowled a delivery to Mike Gatting which pitched outside leg stump and went on to hit the top of off-stump to dismiss the stunned England star. The delivery later became known as the 'Ball of the Century' and immortalised Warne, who would go on to become arguably the greatest bowler in cricket history.
He retired from international cricket in 2007 after Australia whitewashed England 5-0 in 2006-07 Ashes series but continued playing first-class and List A cricket with Hampshire until the end of the county season.
Warne began coaching T20 franchise cricket, leading Rajasthan Royals to victory in the first ever IPL season as a player-coach in 2008. He retired from cricket in 2013, with his final match a Big Bash League game for Melbourne Stars against Perth Scorchers and began working as a commentator and pundit.
However, Warne also coached London Spirit in the inaugural edition of The Hundred and was set to return as their head coach later this year.
