Pop princess Dannii Minogue may have known nothing about cricket but that didn’t matter to her once rumoured beau Shane Warne.
The late cricketing great was just Shane to her — and she was his “Disco”.
Following the news of Warne’s death — a suspected heart attack while travelling with friends in Thailand — Minogue said she was “devastated”.
“My heart breaks for his family and friends. He was such a light and energy in the room. He was always lovely to my whole family,” she wrote, sharing a photo of the two of them.
“He knew that I didn’t have a clue about cricket— but he liked that.
“To me, he was just Shane.
“I can still hear him say, ‘Hey Disco, how are you?’”
Neither Warne nor Minogue ever confirmed that they were more than friends.
Sister Kylie Minogue also paid tribute to “the one and only king of spin”.
The world has been left stumped by the early death of the Australian sporting megastar.
Musician and friend Ed Sheeran — who also appeared in his recent Amazon documentary — said he was “absolutely gutted” by Warne’s death.
“The world keeps taking incredible people away,” Sheeran said.
He added he had only just spoken to Shane earlier this week.
“I spoke to Shane on the anniversary of Michael’s (Gudinski) passing this week saying we were both raising a glass of 707 in his honour, and now this news comes out,” Sheeran said.
“Shane was the kindest heart, and always went above and beyond to make people feel welcome and special.
“He gave so many hours and years of his life to bring joy to others, and was such an amazing friend to me.
“I’ll bloody miss you mate. Absolutely gutted.”
Funny woman Magda Szubanski, who bonded with the star while filming an episode of Kath and Kim in 2007, said his death was inconceivable.
“Inconceivable that a life crammed with so much genius and larrikin charm could be snuffed out so suddenly and so soon,” she said.
Even stars the cricketer had feuded with wrote about their sadness at losing Warne.
Former Sri Lanka cricket captain Arjuna Ranatunga, who Warne had a long running public rivalry with, said he was “deeply saddened” to hear the news.
“I was deeply saddened to hear the sudden demise of one of the greatest cricketers the world has ever seen,” Ranatunga said.
“Shane and I had a very confrontational and a competitive relationship on the field but we also had immense mutual respect for each other.”
Meanwhile Steve Waugh, the man who sparked a 21 year feud after he dropped Warne from a 1999 test match, said he will never be forgotten.
“So many memories and moments that will never be forgotten. It was a privilege and a plxjmtzyweasure to play alongside you.”
Warne’s charm and sporting prowess touched people from all walks of life – from sport all the way to politics.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “totally shocked and saddened” by the news of his death.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Warne was loved by Australia.
A state funeral has been offered to the Warne family.
