Shane Warne had complained of 'chest pain and sweating' after undergoing a "ridiculous" 14-day diet prior to his tragic death.
Warne's long-time manager James Erskine has revealed fresh details about the build-up to the Australia legend's suspected heart attack in Thailand on Friday.
Friends and medics worked to try and revive Warne in the villa where he was holidaying, but he was pronounced dead, aged just 52.
Erskine said Warne's family had been left "shattered" by the news, and that his three children were in "complete shock".
“He did go on these ridiculous sorts of diets and he just finished one, where he basically only ate fluids for 14 days and he’d done this three or four times," he said.
“It was a bit all or nothing. It was either white buns with butter and lasagne stuffed in the middle or he would be having black and green juices.
“He obviously smoked most of his life. I don’t know; I think it was just a massive heart attack. That’s what I think has happened.”
Just a few days before his sudden death, Warne had posted an old picture to Instagram of himself in peak physical condition, stating he was aiming to get back in shape.
He captioned: "Operation shred has started (10 days in) & the goal by July is to get back to this shape from a few years ago! Let’s go #healthy #fitness #feelgood."
Erskine lifted the lid on Warne's family's struggles to come to terms with the news.
“I think the three children are in complete shock,” he added. “I spoke to them yesterday and again and Jackson just said, ‘We expect him to walk in the door. This is like a bad dream’.
“I spoke with Simone [Warne's ex-wife] who was really upset and obviously Keith, Shane’s father, is a pretty strong individual but, like everybody, he’s just shattered.
"They can’t believe what’s happened. I think that’s what happens when you have a sudden death you’re not expecting.
“One minute the kids are talking to him every day, the next minute they can’t talk to him and they start thinking about, ‘he’s not going to be there for my 21st, he’s not going to take me down the aisle’.
"Those things go through your head. They are having a much harder time than anybody, really.”
Paramedic Anuch Han-Iam, who worked to try and revive Warne after the efforts of pal Andrew Neophitou, executive producer on the recently-released Amazon Prime film Shane , gave more details on the battle to save the cricketing great.
He told The Sun: “They were desperate. I think one was crying. Really stressed and panicked. “They kept trying to wake him... I heard someone saying, ‘Come on Shane, come on’.
“I did my best for him and gave all my energy. I’m so sorry that I couldn’t help him.”
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has confirmed Warne will be given a state funeral.
Warne's body arrived in the Thai city of Surat Thani for an autopsy on Sunday. Police say there are no indications that his death was the result of anything other than a heart attack.
Yutthana Srisombat, superintendent of police in Bo Phut, said: "Based on the evidence, we don’t see other possible cause of death.
“His friends also said that he had had chest pain since he was in Australia, but we still need an autopsy result to find out the true cause of death.”
Warne had visited a tailor earlier on Friday to have a suit made, and had ordered two local masseuses to attend the villa where he was staying.
Srisombat added: "It was just massage. He didn’t die because of the massage. He wasn’t well.”
Warne's travel companions have been interviewed by police for information.
Neophitou said: "We really just want to get Shane home. That’s all we want to do.”
