Shane Warne state funeral: date of cricket legend's memorial, who paid tribute to him, and when did he die?

The Australian cricket legend Shane Warne tragically passed away earlier this month after suffering a heart attack.

The leg-spinner was on holiday in Koh Samui, Thailand at the time and just 10 days after the private family funeral, Shane Warne is now receiving a State Memorial at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Celebrities, Sports men and women, and fans from around the world paid tribute to the Australian hero who amassed a total of 708 wickets in his phenomenal Test career.

Warne stands second in the list of all-time leading wicket-takers. Muttiah Muralitharan is the only bowler to have more runs after he accumulated 800.

Warne first played his international Test match in January 1992 and his last came in January 2007 during an Ashes series against England.

Between 2000 and 2007 the Australian great played for Hampshire County Cricket and after retiring from international cricket joined the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.

The leg-spinner struggled with form during his first international Test matches but was selected for the 1993 Summer Ashes series and finished as the series leading wicket taker with 34 wickets.

The very first ball of Warne’s Ashes career is often known as the ‘Ball of the Century’. Bowling to the experienced Mike Gatting, the ball turned from well outside leg stump to clip the bails on the off-side.

The Australian revolutionised spin bowling. Many had begun to think that the art of spin was dying but out came Warne to show just how masterful it is.

The sudden announcement of his death shocked the world and the MCG was stormed in the early hours of the morning as mourners from around the world came to pay tribute to the one of the all-time Cricket Greats.

When was Shane Warne’s State Memorial?

Family, friends, fans and celebrities paid tribute to Warne on Wednesday 30 March 2022. The ceremony began at 8am BST and concluded just before 1pm BST.

When did Shane Warne die?

The announcement of Shane Warne’s death was made on 4 March 2022. It was confirmed that Warne had died of a heart attack from natural causes.

Who paid tribute to Shane Warne?

Shane Warne’s three children all delivered tributes to their father at the MCG earlier this morning. 50,000 fans also attended the ceremony while celebrities sent in video-tributes.

Elton John sent in a recorded version of ‘Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me’ which he dedicated to Warne’s children: Brooke, 24, Jackson, 22, and Summer, 20.

Kylie Minogue, Hugh Jackman and Coldplay’s Chris Martin also sent in video tributes to the Australian icon.

During her speech, Brooke said: “I will miss grabbing your big wrists and feeling your hands and saying that I have big fat fingers just like you.

I will miss our chats about how big our double chins are and how big are bellies are looking, especially after we’ve just eaten our body weight in cheese, pizza and pasta.

“…But what makes me the saddest is, I will never get to wrap my arms around you and give you the biggest hug and rest my chin on your chest. Dad was our shining star in life and now he’s shining down on all of us.”

The family also spoke of a letter that Jason Warne, Shane’s brother, had written in 1993. In the letter, Jason said: “Give people the opportunity in 20 years’ time to say:’Remember Shane Warne? We’ll never get another leggy like him. He was the Best Spinner Australia has ever had.’”

Warne’s children were also able to unveil the Shane Keith Warne memorial stand at the MCG which was located in the same area he sat in as a child before he became the heroic spinner.

The final performances of the event saw Anthony Callea perform a rendition of Andrea Bocelli’s ‘The Prayer’ before jazz trumpeter Mat Jordell performed ‘When the Saints go marching in’ - the official club song of Warne’s favourite AFL side St Kilda.