Shane Warne death: Cricket legend arrives in Australia on private jet from Thailand

The body of Shane Warne has returned home to Melbourne in a private jet as Australia prepares to farewell a sporting icon.

The late cricket legend arrived home from Thailand on Thursday night, six days after his shock and sudden death from a suspected heart attack rocked the world.

Warne’s grieving family and friends, including his personal assistant Helen Nolan were waiting at Essendon Airport when the private plane touched down around 8.40pm.

The plane was seen on the tarmac heading towards hangar nine, which closed shortly afterwards so Warne’s body wasn’t removed from the plane in public view.

Ms Nolan was seen looking visibly emotional moments after the flight landed and being consoled by airport staff. 

A small army of fans were also at the airport to pay their respects to the late spin bowling legend, despite a heavy police presence.

A police helicopter hovered in the air for half an hour before and after the plane landed.

 Warne, 52, was ferried home to Melbourne on a plane owned by one of millionaire Australian businessman Terry Peabody’s charter jets. Peabody, a former billionaire, is a prominent wine and waste management entrepreneur.

Thai authorities gave clearance for his body to be returned home this week after an autopsy report revealed Warne, 52, died of natural causes. 

Warne’s body will either be collected by a funeral home or transported to the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine for a second autopsy if the family requests one. 

Earlier on Thursday morning, Warne’s coffin was draped in an Australian flag as the legendary cricketer began his final voyage home from Thailand, a journey that began before dawn.  

Thai police were seen loading Warne’s casket into the back of a waiting ambulance, ahead of a nine-hour flight by private jet from Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok.

Australian government officials, including Australia’s ambassador to Thailand, Allan McKinnon, were at Don Mueang Airport as the charter flight departed. 

A commercial Qantas flight from Bangkok to Sydney was also considered, but would have involved a transfer to Melbourne and would not have arrived at a private hangar, Nine newspapers reported on Tuesday. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade also assisted Warne’s family with the return of his body to Australia.

Warne’s eldest daughter Brooke, 24,  posted a heartbreaking tribute three hours before her father’s body arrived home.

‘Dad my heart is broken, This doesn’t feel real and doesn’t make sense that you are not here with us anymore, it doesn’t feel right, you were taken away too soon and life is so cruel,’ she captioned a snap of the pair from her childhood.

Her brother Jackson, 23, also shared a series of photos and videos with his dad.

‘Thankyou everyone for the overwhelming amount of support, messages and love,’ he wrote on Thursday night

The return of Warne’s body comes after friends and family gathered on Wednesday to discuss funeral arrangements.

A private memorial is expected to be held at the end of next week. 

A state funeral will be held on March 30 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with as many of Warne’s fans as possible to be allowed to attend.

Many of Warne’s international celebrity pals are also expected to attend, including Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and singer Ed Sheeran.

The state memorial will be ticketed and live-streamed for those who can’t attend, with tickets to be made available to the public soon. 

‘There’s nowhere in the world more appropriate to farewell Warnie than the ‘G,’ Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters earlier this week.

‘There will be no limits on crowds and that sort of stuff. ‘It will be a very big event, it will be a celebration of his life as it should be.’ 

Around 100,000 people are expected to pack the MCG for the service, the scene of Warne’s famous Ashes hat-trick in 1994 and 700th Test wicket on Boxing Day in 2006 before retiring from international cricket.

Shane Warne’s final steps were captured on CCTV in the luxury Sumujana Villas at about 1:30pm on Friday – just hours before he died of a sudden heart attack. 

The legendary cricketer was seen holding several shirts following a visit to his favourite tailor in the Thai island town of Koh Samui.

Casually dressed in shorts, wearing a cap and holding his phone, Warne appeared at ease as he made his way through the foyer and back to his room for a relaxing massage and to watch the cricket from Pakistan. 

The cricket legend was on a ‘boys trip’ at the luxury Samujana Villa resort in Koh Samui when he was found unresponsive in his room about 5pm local time. 

It’s understood no diet medications or heart drugs were found in Warne’s hotel room at the time of his death.

Earlier pictures from the initial investigation revealed several blood spatters in the room around Warne’s bed. 

Local police say the blood was due to lengthy and desperate CPR efforts, performed first by one of Warne’s mates and later by first responders.

The paramedic who first arrived on the scene described the sheer chaos as he tried to save Warne’s life with friends shouting ‘come on, Shane’ in the background.

Anuch Han-Iam said Warne’s frantic friends were already performing CPR when they arrived at the villa.

‘They were trying to bring him back to life… they were desperate. I think one was crying. Really stressed and panicked,’ he said earlier this week. 

Warne’s family reported he had been having heart troubles in the weeks leading up to his death, while it has also been noted he suffered from asthma. 

He previously mentioned he had tried ‘traditional Chinese medicine’ to lose a few kilos with his family confirming he would complete ’30-day fasting tea diets’ as he his weight fluctuated throughout his career.

Warne had also completed a 14-day liquid only diet, described by his manager James Erskine as ‘extreme’ and ‘ridiculous’.

‘It was a bit all or nothing. It was either white buns with butter and lasagne stuffed in the middle, or he would be having black and green juices,’ he said.

‘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.’