Leaders to Teammates Pay Tribute to Cricketer Shane Warne

(Bloomberg) -- Politicians, celebrities and teammates offered tributes to Australia's record-breaking cricketer Shane Warne, who died at the age of 52.

Melbourne-born Warne, who claimed more than 700 Test match wickets in an international career spanning 15 years, died following a suspected heart attack Friday in Koh Samui, Thailand, local media reported.

Australians “are all bewildered today by this sad and sudden loss,” the country's Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Saturday in a message posted to Facebook.

“His achievements were the product of his talent, his discipline and passion for the game he loved,” Morrison said. “But Shane was more than this to Australians. Shane was one of our nation's greatest characters.”

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson described Warne as “a cricketing genius and one of the nicest guys you could meet,” in a Twitter post, while Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger and actor Russell Crowe also offered condolences.

“For Australians he was family. We watched him. Laughed with him. Admired him. A unique character with a remarkable talent and zest for life,” said Australia's Treasurer Josh Frydenberg.

Warne “was one of the greatest cricketers the game has known. It was a joy to watch him play,” said Australia's opposition Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese.

Warne retired as a player in 2013. His record of 708 Test wickets has since been broken only by Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan.

“Shane was a once-in-a-century cricketer,” said Pat Cummins, current captain of Australia's men's Test cricket team. “Apart from the wickets he took and the games he helped Australia win, what he did was draw so many people to the sport.”