Kamal Ghorui
Four years after the sudden passing of Shane Warne, fresh comments from his son Jackson Warne have reignited discussion around the circumstances of the spin legend’s death. Warne, who died in Thailand in 2022 at the age of 52 following a heart attack, had left the cricketing world stunned with his unexpected demise. Speaking on the ‘2 Worlds Collide’ podcast, Jackson shared his belief that COVID-19 vaccinations may have played a role, while also acknowledging that his father had underlying health concerns. “I definitely think that it (COVID vaccine) was involved. I don’t even think saying that is controversial anymore. Even if dad had underlying health issues, I think this brought it out right to the surface and that’s one thing that I’ve always struggled with,” Jackson said. He also revealed his immediate reaction upon hearing the news of Warne’s passing. “My first impression, as soon as I hung up the phone (after receiving the news of Warne’s death), I instantly blamed the government. I instantly blamed COVID and the vaccine.” Jackson admitted that he considered expressing these views publicly during the memorial service but ultimately chose not to. “It was probably smart I didn’t, I would be in a very different position if I did. But that was how I felt,” Jackson said. Reflecting further, he claimed that his father had taken multiple vaccine doses despite being reluctant, suggesting external pressures influenced the decision. “Yes, a lot of people were dying of heart attacks before. But dad was okay, I think he might have got three or four (vaccine doses), he didn’t want to get them, he was forced to get them for work. He was forced to get them like everybody else,” he asserted. Jackson also spoke about how he copes with these thoughts now. “…I try not to think about it too much because all that does is fester into anger. That anger is not good for anybody,” he added. Providing insight into Warne’s lifestyle, he described his father as being in a relatively good place physically and mentally despite some well-known habits. “Dad, at the time, was healthy, he was happy. He looked the best he had in a while. Yes, he smoked and drank, but so many more people in their 80s and 90s still smoke and drink a lot more than dad,” he said. Warne had tested positive for COVID-19 a few months prior to his death during his involvement with The Hundred in England in 2021. However, there had been no widely known serious medical condition at the time, making his sudden passing all the more shocking.
