11:35 AM ET

One of cricket's all-time greats has died of a suspected heart attack at the age of 52 while on holiday in Thailand.

One of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Century, Warne was a member of the Australian team that won the 1999 World Cup.

Michael Cohen said that he died of a heart attack.

The family requests privacy at this time and will provide further details in due course.

Hours after the death of another icon of Australian cricket, former wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, who also suffered a heart attack earlier this week, the shocking news came.

Warney, as he was known throughout the cricketing world, was one of the true icons of world cricket, a man who almost singlehandedly revived the art of legspin in the early 1990s.

Although Abdul Qadir of Pakistan kept the art alive, he was not able to match the glamour and attacking intent of the man with the bottle-blond hair and a keen tactical brain that he used to outfox a host of unwitting opponents in his pomp.

In his fifth appearance, he ripped out seven match-winning second-innings runs, after bowling Australia to an unlikely victory over Sri Lanka in Colombo, in which he took a solitary strike.

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Ian Chappell, Mark Nicholas, and Gideon Haigh look at that delivery.

It was the 1993 tour that solidified the legend of the man. In the opening match of the series at Old Trafford, and having been shielded from England's batters during the preceding one-day series, Warne's first delivery left the sport dumbfounded as he served up the ball of the century.

Gatting was so confused, he did not initially realise he had been bowled, and in that moment, Warne exerted a hold over England's batters that was so absolute, they would not come close to regaining the urn for another 12 years. In the summer of 2005, when Australia won the urn for the first time in over a century, the last person to be prised from it was Warne, who had a career-best haul of 40 wickets.

Away from the cricket field, he was involved in a court controversy. He was often near the front of the tabloids with revelations about his personal life. In 1995 he and his teammate Mark Waugh were fined for giving information to an Indian bookmaker.

In 2003 on the eve of the World Cup, Warne was suspended from international cricket for a year after a banned diuretic was found during a routine drugs test - he claimed it had been given to him by his mother to help him lose weight.

Even though the year away from the game might have ended lesser careers, it gave him an extra lease of life going into his 30s. In March 2004, he returned to action with four five-wicket hauls in a row to lead Australia to a memorable three-game series win in Sri Lanka, and then played a crucial role in their victory in India.

He retired from international cricket with typical showmanship, leaving the field arm-in-arm with Glenn McGrath, a fellow great in one of the all-time great Test teams.

The legend was not done even at the age of 37. He was recruited by Rajasthan Royals to captain their franchise in the inaugural season of the Indian premier league and he delivered the title with 19 wickets at 21.26 in the course of the campaign. He was the only bowler to go for naught in the final against Chennai Super Kings, but he still played a crucial role in the victory.

After being recruited as captain by his friend and England rival, Robin Smith, Warne spent eight years in county cricket with Hampshire. He had a stand at the Ageas Bowl named after him after he claimed 276 first-class wickets at 25.59 in his time at the club.

In retirement, Warne became a trenchant commentator for Fox Sports in Australia, and he was always insightful on tactical matters. He played professional poker, a card game that he said replicated the sort of mind-games that he had enjoyed during his playing days. He became a fixture at the Aussie Millions in Melbourne and at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, where in 2009, his deep run into the tournament meant that he arrived late for his commentary duties.

The cricket world has paid tribute to Warne. Brian Lara, arguably the greatest batter to have faced Warne in his pomp, posted an image of a broken heart, which he captioned: "Speechless at the moment." I don't know how to describe this situation. My friend is not with me. One of the greatest athletes of all time has passed away. My sympathies are with his family. Warnie, I am sad for you! You will be missed.

Adam Gilchrist was in one of the greatest Test teams of all time. The highlight of my cricketing career was keeping Warnie at bay. The best place to watch the maestro is in the house. I have felt a bit selfish because Heals and I are the only ones who had that thrill and pleasure at Test level. Rip Warnie.