Australian cricketer Shane Warne was bid farewell at a state memorial at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Wednesday where tens of thousands of people gathered to remember one of the game's finest players at his home stadium.
Warne's daughter Brooke, in pictures from the scene, wiped away tears as she mourned her father who died of a suspected heart attack about three weeks ago at the age of 52, while on holiday in Thailand.
Brooke, 24, was accompanied by her sister Summer and brother Jackson at the memorial service. She and her siblings were seen welcoming mourners arriving at the cricket ground.
Members of Shane Warne's family attend the State Memorial Service for the cricket legend at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, Australia, March 30, 2022. AAP Image/Joel Carrett via REUTERS
STRINGER
A private funeral service was held for Warne's closest friends and family in Melbourne last week but all were invited to Wednesday's televised memorial where his father Keith mourned the loss of "a loving and caring son" and his former team mates remembered a fierce and mischievous competitor.
"Shane said of himself, 'I smoked, I drank and I played a little cricket,'" Keith Warne said in his eulogy.
Elton John performs via video link at a state memorial service for Australian cricketer Shane Warne at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia March 30, 2022. REUTERS/Sandra Sanders
SANDRA SANDERS
"Mate, your mother and I can't imagine a life without you. You have been taken too soon and our hearts are broken. Thank you for all you did for us."
Warne is arguably Australia's most revered cricketer after the great Don Bradman, who regarded him as the game's best ever leg-spinner.
Greta Bradman, the granddaughter of the Depression-era batsman and captain, sang Australia's national anthem at the evening memorial.
Former Australia skipper Allan Border thanked Warne for reinvigorating his captaincy, England's Nasser Hussain remembered a "great sledger" and West Indies batting legend Brian Lara said he was the finest Australian he had ever played.
A slew of athletes, Hollywood actors and musicians offered video tributes for a player who injected glamour into test cricket and was a huge fan of rock music.
Elton John sang his classic 1974 song "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", while Chris Martin, frontman for Coldplay, sang the rock group's 2000 hit "Yellow".
