3 min readApr 14, 2026 01:12 PM IST
Spin bowling legend Shane Warne’s son Jackson has blamed the mandatory Covid vaccination for the sudden passing of his father in 2022.
Warne passed away in March 2022 during a ‘lads’ holiday’ trip to Thailand, where his death was recorded due to congenital heart disease. However, Jackson claimed that though Warne had underlying health issues, the vaccine “brought it straight to the surface”.
“I definitely think that it was involved. I don’t even think saying that is controversial anymore,” Jackson told the 2 Worlds Collide podcast.
“My first impression, as soon as I hung up the phone, I instantly blamed the government. I instantly blamed Covid and the vaccine,” added Jackson.
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Warne was given a state memorial service at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, weeks after his death. While Jackson spoke at the service, he revealed that he had intended to take aim at the vaccine and the Victorian government back then.
“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.
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“But that was how I felt. Even the last three or four years, I have not changed my tune.
“At the end of the day, we’ll never know. The autopsy is online. I know what happened to him.
‘Dad was healthy’
Jackson said that Warne was still healthy despite his many health concerns at the age of 52. A habitual smoker and drinker, Warne had reportedly been on a liquid diet in the weeks leading up to his death.
“Operation shred has started (10 days in) & the goal by July is to get back to this shape from a few years ago,” Warne’s last social media post shortly before his death had read.
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“Dad, at the time, was healthy, he was happy,” said Jackson. “He looked the best he had in a while. Yes, he smoked and drank, but how many more people in their 80s and 90s still smoke and drink a lot more than dad?
“Yes, a lot of people were dying of heart attacks before. But dad was OK, I think he might have got three or four [vaccine doses], he didn’t want to get them, he was forced to get them for work.
“He was forced to get them like everybody else. Dad wasn’t the only person. When dad passed, he was probably the most famous Australian that people could go, ‘yep, that’s Covid’, but I try not to think about it too much because all that does is fester into anger. That anger is not good for anybody,” said Jackson.
Warne’s vivacious persona made him a fan favourite across the cricketing world but also often landed him in trouble.
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Arguably, the greatest leg-spinner of all time, Warne remains as the highest-wicket taker for Australia with a tally of 708 Test match wickets. He also took 293 One-Day International wickets and made more than 300 appearances for Australia across all formats. Warne has also bagged more Ashes wickets than any other bowler in history.
