Australian cricket legend and poker enthusiast Shane Warne has passed away from a heart attack at the age of 52, according to media reports.
“Shane was found unresponsive in his villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived,” said a statement from his management. “The family requests privacy at this time and will provide further details in due course.”
Warne, a member of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, was formerly a sponsored player by the poker site 888 from 2008 to 2015. The operator issued a statement on Friday on the news.
“We are heartbroken to hear of the untimely passing of Aussie cricket legend, and ex 888 ambassador, Shane Warne,” 888 said on its social media account. “His energy, inspiring presence and passion for getting things right remains with us. Our sincere condolences to his kids, family and other loved ones. RIP legend.”
Despite being one of the most famous cricket players in the world, Warne found time for another one of his passions — the game of poker. His six figures worth of tournament scores over the years put him within the top 400 players ever to come out of Australia.
Warne made a deep run in the 2015 World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas, finishing in 597th place for about $20,000.
Warne’s most recent tournament cash came in a January 2022 event in Australia in which he finished in seventh place for $3,200.
Warne’s best years on the poker tournament scene came in 2010 and 2018, years in which he cashed for a nearly identical amount of about $43,000.
Poker player Antanas “Tony G” Guoga praised Warne’s impact on poker in a Twitter post.
“It was only a few days ago that we had a conversation about having a poker game soon,” Guoga said. “He will go down as a sporting legend of the century. He also did a lot for raising the profile of poker worldwide.”
