Shane Warne had just completed a 14-day liquid diet to lose weight before his death on holiday in Thailand, it has emerged.
The Australian cricket star, 52, was found unresponsive in a villa on the island of Koh Samui on Friday while on holiday with friends.
Friends of the leg-spin bowler performed CPR for 20 minutes as emergency services rushed to the scene. He was taken to hospital but pronounced dead shortly after.
In an Instagram post five days before his death, Warne had revealed that he would go on a diet to lose weight in order to regain his old physique.
Sharing a photo of himself in his younger years, he wrote: “Operation shred has started (10 days in) & the goal by July is to get back to this shape from a few years ago ! Let’s go.”
On Sunday, Warne’s manager James Erskine revealed he had been on an “extreme” diet in order to lose weight quickly.
“It was a bit all or nothing,” he said. “It was either white buns with butter and lasagne stuffed in the middle, or he would be having black and green juices.”
“He obviously smoked most of his life [but] I don’t know, I think it was just a massive heart attack. That’s what I think has happened.”
Paramedic Anuch Han-Iam told The Sun that paramedics had arrived at the scene and found Warne’s friends giving him CPR.
“They were trying to bring him back to life... They were desperate. I think one was crying. Really stressed and panicked.
“They kept trying to wake him... I heard someone saying ‘come on Shane, come on’.”
Warne left an indelible mark on cricket, having taken 708 wickets in 145 Tests between 1992 and 2007. He was particularly influential against England with 195 wickets – the most by any bowler in the Ashes.
Shane Warne - In pictures
Tributes flooded in from the cricket world after news of Warne’s death was announced on Friday.
Australia Test captain Pat Cummins said: “Warnie was an all-time great, a once-in-a-century type of cricketer and his record will live on forever.”
