Four years after Shane Warne’s death rocked the cricketing world, his son Jackson claimed the spin legend’s demise could have been linked to the COVID-19 vaccines he was “forced to take for work”. Warne, widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game, died at age 52 in Thailand in 2022 after a heart attack.
On the ‘2 Worlds Collide’ podcast, Jackson said he believes vaccines played a role, although he acknowledged his father had underlying health issues. “I definitely think it (the COVID vaccine) was involved. I don’t think it’s controversial anymore. Even though dad had underlying health issues, I think it brought it to the surface and that’s one thing I’ve always struggled with,” he said.
Jackson revealed that his first reaction after hearing the news of his father’s death was to look for reasons other than natural causes. “My first impression, as soon as I hung up the phone, I immediately blamed the government. I immediately blamed COVID and the vaccine,” he said, adding that he had to refrain from expressing those thoughts publicly during the memorial service.
“It was probably smart, wasn’t it, if I had done that I would have been in a completely different position. But that’s how I felt,” he said.
He went on to claim that Warne took multiple doses of the vaccine despite his reluctance. “Yeah, a lot of people died of heart attacks before. But dad was fine. I think he might have gotten three or four (vaccine doses). He didn’t want to get them, he was forced to get them because of work. He was forced to get them like everybody else,” Jackson said.
At the same time, he admitted that it was difficult to deal with such thoughts. “I try not to think about it too much because all he does is get angry. That anger isn’t good for anybody,” he added.
Jackson offered an insight into his father’s lifestyle, describing Warne as being in good shape at the time of his death. “Dad was healthy at the time, he was happy. He looked his best in a while. Yes, he smoked and drank, but a lot more people in their 80s and 90s still smoke and drink a lot more than Dad,” he said.
Warne contracted COVID-19 a few months before his death during his 2021 coaching stint with The Hundred in England. However, he was not known to have any serious illness at the time of his sudden death, which is still being debated years later.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
14 Apr 2026 17:10 IST
