FRIEND OF THE STARS

WARNIE LOVED CELEBRITIES AND THEY LOVED HIM

- Naomi Toy

For an ordinary bloke, Shane Warne had some extraordinary friends. From rock’n’roll royalty to actual royalty, Hollywood stars to local legends, media magnates to models – Warnie could charm them all.

In the often superficial celebrity world, these friendships can appear to be just for the benefit of the cameras or for the sake of convenient self-promotion. But the laidback larrikin made genuine connections in the celebrity circles he found himself in as he travelled the world as a cricketer, commentator and A-lister in his own right. Warne always had access to the hottest ticket in town and he made the most of his access to other stars, forming instant and often lifelong bonds.

The sincerity of the heartfelt tributes showed they were not just farewelling a fellow celebrity, they were saying goodbye to a friend.