Shane Warne's body leaves Thailand for Australia ahead of state funeral

Cricketing great died of natural causes after a suspected heart attack at the age of 52 on Koh Samui on Friday

Australian cricketer Shane Warne has died. He was 52. Getty Images

Shane Warne working as a TV pundit during a test match between Australia and Pakistan at The Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, in 2019. Getty Images

Shane Warne and Elizabeth Hurley before Shane Warne's Australia took on Michael Vaughan's England in a T20 match at Cirencester Cricket Club in 2013. Getty Images

Australia's Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne celebrate with the Ashes trophy in 2007. Action Images

Australian captain Steve Waugh and vice captain Shane Warne during a ticker-tape parade through Melbourne, in celebration of the Australian cricket team's victory over Pakistan in the 1999 Cricket World Cup Final. Getty Images

Mark Waugh, Steve Waugh and Shane Warne of Australia after victory over Pakistan in the Cricket World Cup Final at Lord's in London in 1999. Getty Images

Shane Warne celebrates a Pakistan wicket in the Cricket World Cup Final at Lord's in London in 1999. Getty Images

Shane Warne celebrates by dancing with a stump on the dressing room balcony after victory over England in the Fifth Ashes test match at Trent Bridge in 1997. Getty Images

Shane Warne bowls to Graham Thorpe of England during the third test at Old Trafford in Manchester in 1997. Getty Images

Shane Warne and Brian Lara of the West Indies in Australia in 1995. Getty Images

Shane Warne after recording a career best 8 for 71 in the first Ashes test against England at the Brisbane Cricket Ground in Woolloongabba, in 1994. Getty Images

Warne in action against Somerset in 1993. Getty Images

Shane Warne in 1990. Getty Images

The body of Shane Warne left Thailand early Thursday, flying back to Australia where the cricket superstar will receive a state funeral.

Wrapped in the Australian flag, the coffin of Warne, who died at the age of 52 on Thailand's Koh Samui island on Friday, left Don Mueang International airport at 8.24 am local time on a private plane, a Thai airport official confirmed.

Autopsy results confirmed that the leg-spin bowler, one of the greatest Test cricketers of all time, died of natural causes after a suspected heart attack.

Warne "didn't just inspire a cricketing generation – he defined it," said a statement by the Victoria government, announcing the state funeral would be held on March 30 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Warne was discovered late Friday at a luxury villa on Koh Samui where he was on holiday, after failing to meet friends that evening. He was taken to the Thai International Hospital Samui but despite medical efforts he could not be revived.

On Monday, police said an autopsy had found "the death was due to natural causes".

Surachate Hakparn, assistant to the national police chief, added that Warne's father said the player "had been suffering chest pains and was planning to return home for a check-up after this trip".

In their first public comments since his death, Warne's parents, brother, children and ex-wife expressed deep sorrow.

"To find words to adequately express our sadness is an impossible task for us and looking to a future without Shane is inconceivable," parents Keith and Brigitte Warne said in a statement.

"I miss you so much already," said daughter Summer Warne. "I wish I could've hugged you tighter in what I didn't know were my final moments with you. I wish I could've told you that everything was going to be OK and hold your hand."

Son Jackson Warne reminisced about playing golf and watching Australian rules football while eating pizza with someone he saw as a brother and best friend, as well as a father.

"I love you so much. I don't think anything is ever going to fill the void you have left in my heart," he said in a statement. "You were truly the best father and mate anyone could've asked for. I love you so much Dad, see you soon."

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison led tributes to one of the country's "greatest characters".

Over the weekend fans paid homage to Warne at his statue outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground, including offerings of cigarettes, beer and meat pies, to remember an extraordinary cricketing talent with a huge appetite for life.

Credited with reviving the art of leg-spin, Warne was part of a dominant Australian Test team in the 1990s and 2000s and helped his country win the 1999 limited-overs World Cup.