Warne's daughter's heartbreaking letter to late father on anniversary of death

04 March 2024 , 09:07

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Brooke Warne has paid tribute to her father, Shane, on the anniversary of his death (Image: brookewarne/Instagram)

Brooke Warne, the eldest of Shane's three children, has penned an emotional letter to her late father on the anniversary of his death.

The Australian legend died while on holiday in Thailand on March 4, 2022. Aged 52, Warne suffered a cardiac arrest and could not be revived, leading to an outpouring of love from those in the sporting world and his homeland. The cricketer left behind three children - Brooke, Jackson and Summer.

The leg spinner famously produced the 'ball of the century' at Old Trafford in the Ashes and was among those who transcended his sport. Shane remained a huge personality after retiring and was a big family man.

Brooke expressed her feelings in a letter: "Two years today, dad. It's been the slowest and quickest two years without you. I feel like you were just here being silly with us and talking about how good the new season of Peaky Blinders is and we will watch the next episode together when you come home. Life really doesn't make sense without you here. We try and do you proud every day. I miss you, I love you forever."

Shane was found in Thailand by his friend and business partner Andrew Neophitou, whom he was supposed to be meeting for a drink and dinner. The cricketer was sober at the time of his death, according to his manager James Erskine, with Thai police stating the room was clean of alcohol and cigarettes.

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Tributes poured in for the great, whose legacy lives on. The Great Southern Stand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was renamed in his honour with players, past and present, offering soundbites to sum up just how special he was.

Nasser Hussain said on the Australian after his death: "For me, he was arguably the greatest cricketer to ever play the game The game is about entertaining people and there was never a dull moment when Shane Warne had the ball in his hand. He was absolutely genius."

Shane Warne died in Thailand aged 52 (brookewarne/Instagram)

Australia captain Pat Cummins said in the aftermath of his passing: "We all grew up watching Warnie, idolising him, we all had posters on our wall, had his earrings. We loved so much his showmanship, his charisma, his tactics. He just willed himself and his team to win games for Australia.

"So many guys in this squad still hold him as a hero, their all-time favourite player. The loss we're all trying to wrap our heads around is huge. The game was never the same after Warnie emerged and the game will never be the same after his passing. Rest in peace, King."

Samuel Meade