Shane Warne wrote his own obituary more than a decade before death

Shane Warne always seemed larger than life his entire career but the legendary spinner revealed writing his own obituary changed his life.

Shane Warne revealed he wrote his own obituary in a 2018 interview with the ABC’s 7.30 host Leigh Sales.

The world was stunned on Saturday morning when news broke the legendary cricketer had died of a suspected heart attack in Thailand aged 52.

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Details about his death trickled out on Saturday, including the leg-spinner’s final moments as the world tried to come to terms with the loss of a larger-than-life figure.

It has also been revealed Warne will be honoured at a State Funeral and the Great Southern Stand at his beloved MCG will be renamed the SK Warne Stand.

The MCG paid tribute to Warney. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

Speaking on 7.30 four years ago, Warne said he wrote his own obituary as part of an exercise he was set by his psychologist and former English cricketer Jeremy Snape.

Sales brought up the fact from his book, asking: “If you’re one of the lucky people in life, you have another 30 years of life left, what do you want to do with that time?”

Warne replied: “I encourage anyone, if they’ve got any issues whatsoever to please go and see someone, because it’s important to go and see someone.

“I was a bit like, ‘I don’t need that, don’t need that’. And then when I started to date Elizabeth (Hurley), I wanted to become a better person. Not just because of her but because of the kids. I just thought, ‘I’m sick of the rubbish. I want to be better and I want to understand why things happen’.

“I got Jeremy Snape, he’s become a great friend, and one of the first things we did was we had a week in a hotel room basically. He said, ‘It is going to be brutal’ and I said, ‘Bring it, let’s go, I want to understand this’.

“The first question, he said, ‘Write your own obituary’. I had a few goes at it and I didn’t like, at that stage, I wasn’t happy with who I am and I felt I needed to change. I needed to do a few things and be better and I’ve tried and I think I’m doing a pretty good job.

“That was eight years ago now. Maybe I’m getting wiser, maybe I’m maturing. But I’m happy with who I am and I understand myself. That’s half the battle and it was a very worthwhile week.”

Shane Warne at home. Picture: Tim Carrafa

Over the summer, Warne called the 2005 break-up of his 10-year marriage with Simone Callahan the “lowest moment of my life” and took the blame for their split.

After his marriage breakdown, he was linked to several high profile relationships, including Hurley, who he was engaged to for two years.

In Warne’s autobiography, No Spin, he described their relationship as the “happiest years of my life”.

They split before making it down the aisle, with the romance ultimately “fizzling out”. Warne said there was “no single, clear reason” why their relationship ended.

Still can’t believe he’s gone. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

Speaking on the Fox Cricket memorial on Saturday, commentator Mark Howard said Warne was “many, many different things to many, many different people”, from cricket legend, to doting father, to loyal friend, to an icon for fans who followed his every move.

Leg-spinning great Kerry O’Keeffe also teared up as he spoke of his sadness at Warne’s death.

“The great Richie Benaud once said, ‘Don’t ever use the word tragedy in a cricket commentary situation’,” he said.

“Today is a tragedy. We’ve lost one of our greatest ever at 52.”