Australian cricket legend, Shane Warne, was found unresponsive in his hotel room in Thailand following a suspected heart attack. Video / AP / Getty / NZ Herald
Cricket legend Shane Warne had just completed an extreme diet before his death, his manager has revealed.
Warne passed away of a heart attack in Koh Samui, Thailand on Friday.
Speaking with Australian TV show Nine's Today, Warne's long-time manager James Erskine said Warne had finished a fluid-only diet fortwo weeks.
"He did go on these ridiculous sort of diets … and was just finished one, where he basically only ate fluids for 14 days, and he'd done this three or four times.
"He was a bit all or nothing, it was either white buns with butter and lasagne stuffed in the middle, or he'd be basically having these black or green juices," Erskine said.
Police examine the scene. Photo / Royal Thai Police via Matichon online
"I just think it was a massive heart attack, I think that's what's happened," he said.
Thai police have also revealed Warne was suffering chest pains before he left Australia for a holiday in Thailand.
Police Colonel Yuthana Sirisombat told reporters on Saturday night his family had informed them of the late cricket legend's history of heart disease and asthma and their concern about his health before he left Australia last week.
The 52-year-old had recently "seen a doctor about his heart", Sirisombat said.
Thai police said Shane Warne's family said he had a history of heart problems. Photo / Supplied
Colonel Sirisombat said it was these family revelations — and a review of CCTV footage — that led police to rule out any foul play in the father-of-three's death.
Warne's body has been sent to Suratthani Hospital for an autopsy, as his family fights for it to be returned to Australia as soon as possible.
Police examine the scene. Photo / Royal Thai Police via Matichon online
"A large amount of blood was found in the room," Pol Maj Gen Satit Polpinit, commander of Surat Thani Provincial Police, told Thai newspaper Matichon.
"When CPR was started, the deceased had coughed up liquid and was bleeding."
The group of friends Warne was holidaying with talk to police. Photo / Bo Phut Police Station/Handout
'He hated drugs'
A masseuse had visited Warne on Friday but police were not clear on what time of the day.
Around 5.15pm he was found face down on his bed after a suspected heart attack by close friend Andrew Neophitou, who was an executive producer on a recently released documentary on Warne's life.
The first day of the Test match between Australian and Pakistan was playing on the television in his room.
Police inside the villa on Koh Samui, Thailand, where cricketer Shane Warne was found dead from an apparent heart attack. Photo / Royal Thai Police via Matichon online
"They were meant to meet some people at 5pm. Neo was next door, he's always on time," Warne's long-time manager James Erskine told The Age.
"He realised he wasn't well. He tried to give mouth-to-mouth, tried to resuscitate him, he had no heartbeat, the ambulance came 20 minutes later and an hour and a bit later he was pronounced dead."
Police confirmed no drugs were found in the room but took samples from a water bottle.
A man places a can of beer at the base of the Shane Warne Statue outside the M.C.G. as a tribute. Photo /Getty
Erskine rejected any claims Warne's death was linked to his reputation as a man who liked to party. He was visiting close friend Gareth Edwards, a poker-playing mate who runs the resort, to begin what was supposed to be a three-month trip.
The group of friends Warne was holidaying with talk to police. Photo / Bo Phut Police Station/Handout
"He was on holiday, having a lie down, siesta, he hadn't been drinking, he'd been on this diet to lose weight," he said.
"He didn't drink much. Everyone thinks he's a big boozer but he's not a big boozer at all. I sent him a crate of wine, 10 years later it's still there. He doesn't drink, never took drugs, ever. He hated drugs, so nothing untoward."
Shane Warne of Australia appeals unsuccessfully against Mark Boucher of South Africa a Test between Australia and South Africa. Photo / Getty Images
It came after Aussie cricket great Ian Healy said he was not surprised by Warne's premature death.
Police inside the villa on Koh Samui, Thailand, where cricketer Shane Warne was found dead from an apparent heart attack. Photo / Royal Thai Police via Matichon online
Healy said he was worried Warne would have been battling cancer at a young age.
"An early passing didn't surprise me for Warnie," Healy told The Today Show on Saturday.
"He didn't look after his body that well. He yo-yoed up and down.
A man places a set of cricket stumps and a photos at the statue of cricket legend Shane Warne outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Photo / AP
"He didn't put much sunscreen on. I thought it would have become skin issues for him over time, but not at 52. And he would have been full of beans right to the end, I bet."
