Shane Warne’s sonhas claimed the Covid vaccine played a role in the cricket legend’s sudden death, despite official findings attributing it to natural causes.
Jackson Warne, 26, said he believed the vaccine “brought it straight to the surface”, even if his father had underlying health issues.
“I definitely think that it was involved. I don’t even think saying that is controversial anymore,” he said on the 2 Worlds Collide podcast.
The former Australian spin great died in March 2022 while holidaying on the Thai island of Koh Samui. He was 52.
Warne was found unresponsive in his room at the luxury Samujana Villas, with an autopsy later determining he died of natural causes due to congenital heart disease.
Jackson said his immediate reaction upon hearing the news was to blame the pandemic and government policies.
“My first impression, as soon as I hung up the phone, I instantly blamed the government. I instantly blamed Covid and the vaccine,” he said.
He also revealed he had considered voicing those views publicly at his father’s state memorial.
“At the state memorial, I nearly said I blame the government and Covid, but I didn’t. It was probably smart I didn’t – I’d be in a very different position if I did,” he said. “But that was how I felt… even the last three or four years, I have not changed my tune.”
Despite his beliefs, Jackson acknowledged uncertainty around the circumstances of his father’s death. “At the end of the day, we’ll never know. The autopsy is online. I know what happened to him,” he said.
Three years after Warne’s passing, it emerged that several medications were found in his villa room, including sildenafil (marketed as Viagra), Kamagra – an unregulated version – and dapoxetine. Paramedics reportedly located the substances when they arrived at the scene.
Jackson described his father as being in good spirits and physical condition at the time, though he acknowledged his lifestyle included smoking and drinking. “Dad, at the time, was healthy, he was happy. He looked the best he had in a while,” he said.
Warne, widely regarded as one of cricket’s greatest leg-spinners, enjoyed a 15-year international career and remained one of Australia’s most recognisable sporting figures.
Off the field, he was known for his high-profile personal life, including his marriage to Simone Callahan and later engagement to Elizabeth Hurley.
In the weeks leading up to his death, Warne had embarked on a strict “operation shred” liquid diet, documenting his fitness goals on social media shortly after arriving in Thailand.
Images: 2 Worlds Collide / Instagram
