Australian cricket legend Shane Warne had experienced chest pains before his death in Thailand, police have said.
Warne also had a history of asthma and “had seen a doctor about his heart”, according to Thai police superintendent Yuttana Sirisombat, who cited information from the former spin bowler’s family.
The 52-year-old died of a suspected heart attack on Friday while on holiday in Koh Samui, Thailand.
His body will be taken to Surat Thani on the Thai mainland on Sunday for a post-mortem, and Mr Yuttana would not comment when asked about the likely cause of death.
Meanwhile, Australia has said the country would hold a state funeral for Warne – one of its most famous cricketers.
And his former fiancee Elizabeth Hurley has described him as her “beloved Lionheart”.
Sharing a photo of them together on Instagram, she wrote: “I feel like the sun has gone behind a cloud forever. RIP my beloved Lionheart @shanewarne23.”
Nasser Hussain, a former England cricket captain, said Warne had revived the art of leg-spin bowling, and had brilliance, genius and fight.
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This delivery from Shane Warne in the 1993 Ashes series was so good it became known as the ‘Ball of the Century’
Hussain told Sky Sports: “Leg spin was a dying art before Shane Warne burst onto the scene, we had never heard of a delivery called a flipper and then suddenly he used to set us up with it.
“He used to bowl a delivery that was short and you’d think ‘Shane lost it today’ and the very next ball was the flipper and it would go straight through us.
“He was an outstanding cricketer.
“Some people are brilliant at the game, some people have genius and some people have fight and Shane Warne had everything in abundance.
“He was also a very, very smart cricketer as we’ve seen in the commentary box since he retired from the game.”
Warne took 708 Test wickets, the second-highest ever, in 145 matches across an illustrious 15-year international career.
He also claimed 293 wickets in one-day internationals and helped Australia win the World Cup in 1999.
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Shane Warne: One of the few bowlers who you would expect to take a wicket every time he had the ball
Former Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath said he was “absolute devastated” by the death of his teammate, adding: “Warnie was larger than life.
“I thought nothing could ever happen to him.
“He lived more in his life than most people would live in 20.
“He was the ultimate competitor. He thought the game was never lost, that he could turn it around and bring us to victory, which he did so many times. I think he lived his life the same way. There seemed to be never a dull moment.
“He was a great mate and a loving father. He loved his kids so much and my thoughts are with Brooke, Jackson and Summer. My thoughts are also with (Warne’s parents) Keith, Bridgette and (Warne’s brother) Jason.
“Rest In peace my good mate, there’ll never again be anyone like you.”