Autopsy: cricketer Warne died of natural causes | ESPN.com

BANGKOK — Police in Thailand said Monday that an autopsy conducted on the body of Australian cricket star Shane Warne has concluded that he died of natural causes. He was 52.

A statement issued by deputy national police spokesperson Kissana Pathanacharoen said the opinion issued by the doctor who carried out the autopsy has been conveyed to Warne's family and the Australian Embassy. It said the family did not have any doubt that the cricketer, widely considered one of the sport's greatest spin bowlers, died of natural causes.

The statement, issued ahead of a planned police news conference, did not specify the cause of death. Preliminary evaluations from Thai authorities suggested Warne died from a heart attack.

Warne was found unresponsive in his hotel room on the Thai resort island of Samui on Friday and could not be revived at a nearby hospital. His body was transferred Sunday to the Thai mainland for an official autopsy at a state hospital.

The statement said police would conclude the autopsy report and send it to the prosecutor's office as soon as possible, a standard procedure in cases of unexpected deaths.

Warne's family released a statement Monday saying the day of his death was for them the beginning of «a never-ending nightmare.»

«Looking to a future without Shane is inconceivable, hopefully the mountain of happy memories we all have will help us cope with our ongoing grief,» his father and mother, Keith and Brigitte, wrote.

They said the family has accepted the offer of a state funeral and is grateful that a section of the Melbourne Cricket Ground will be renamed the S.K. Warne Stand in honor of their son.

«As everyone knows, Shane was an extremely proud Victorian and Australian,» they said.

Warne's son,