Fans, family, famous to bid Shane Warne farewell at state memorial

Shane Warne’s son said there is no better place to bid farewell to his late father than the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where more than 50,000 people are to attend a state memorial service Wednesday featuring stars such as Elton John and Ed Sheeran.

The legendary cricketer died at a luxury resort in Thailand this month from a suspected heart attack, aged 52, eliciting shock and grief around the world from his millions of fans as well as prime ministers, rock stars and fellow players.

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The larger-than-life "king of spin" will be honoured in a state service that will be beamed live to cricket grounds around the country and watched by millions in Australia and around the world.

More than 50,000 free tickets have been snapped up for the two-hour service, which is due to start at 7:00pm (0800 GMT) after a minute’s silence.

His son, Jackson, said there was "no other better place in the whole world" to hold the memorial than the MCG where Warne made so many memories, including a hat-trick in an Ashes Test against England and taking his 700th Test wicket.

"It’s very special for a lot of us, especially our family," he told Australian media.

"We’ve been lucky enough to come here (to the MCG) our whole lives and watch him play and put lots of hard work in on this very ground.i

"Dad always loved a crowd, putting on a performance ... I think, sad day as it is, with more people here it won’t be as sad," he added.

Those attending have been urged to wear their cricket kit.