Australian cricketing legend Shane Warne has very sadly passed away, and as many tributes flow for his loss, most of them mention his strong love for his children and his passion for being a dad.
WATCH BELOW: Summer Warner makes TikTok with her dad Shane Warne
While the world is pretty familiar with Jackson Warne, given his stint on SAS Australia, less is known about his two daughters, Brooke and Summer, who tend to live a little further out of the spotlight.
However, Shane was always one to celebrate his kids on social media, and a deep love for them could be gleaned from his posts and Stories, where he shared many snaps of the girls and wrote gushing tributes for certain milestones.
Brooke was Shane’s oldest child at age 24, while Summer was his youngest, aged only 20.
Following his shock following a suspected heart attack at a holiday villa on the island of Koh Samui last Friday, both Brooke and Summer took to social media to pen heartbreaking tributes to their hero dad.
“Dad my heart is broken, This doesn’t feel real and doesn’t make sense that you are not here with us anymore, it doesn’t feel right, you were taken away too soon and life is so cruel, I will forever cherish our final memories together laughing and joking around with each other,” Brooke wrote on Instagram.
“We were happy. We were so similar in so many ways and I always use to joke that I got your genes and I use to joke about how much that annoyed me!!
“Well now I couldn’t be happier and prouder that I have your genes and I was lucky and will forever be, so proud to call you my dad. I love you to infinity and back and I will miss you forever.”
Summer shared the heartbreaking sentiment earlier this week, writing on her own Instagram page, “There [are] no words. It feels like I’m dreaming, waiting for someone to wake me up and tell me that you’re okay. This can’t be real life. There’s no way that life is this cruel to the most beautiful people on this earth.
“There’s no way that I will never hear your soft voice again telling me that ‘everything is going to be okay’ or how ‘proud’ you are of me, or simply saying ‘goodnight’ or ‘good morning SJ I’ll see you in the morning, I love you…
“Moments before the world took you away from me, we were jamming to “Summer of 69” and “I’ve had the time of my life” Talking about how much you loved that song and seeing your smile light up the whole room while we danced and couldn’t stop laughing at each other.
“God you made me laugh dad ❤️ Little did I know that was the last time I would ever see you dad ❤️ I’d do anything to hear that laugh again, anything to hear your voice, anything to have one of your cuddles, anything to be with you again just one last time ❤️
Shane shared a sweet Instagram Story a few years ago to mark the momentous occasion of Summer finishing high school, which meant all of his kids had finally finished their schooling.
“Wow. What a day!!” he wrote. “All three of my beautiful children have now completed year 12.
“Which means no more school fees, drop offs, pick-ups and fighting for a car park, parent teacher nights, sport all over Melbourne x3 on the weekends, school plays, events, making lunches, sports gear, blazer and being a taxi – oh and an ATM,” he joked.
“Sort of sad too as they were fun times and will be great memories for all of us. So proud of the young awesome adults you’ve become,” he shared.
Shane shared a similar sentiment on Brooke’s birthday in June last year, creating a lengthy Story to celebrate her 24 years.
“Happy 24th birthday to my eldest daughter Brooke!” he began, sharing a picture of them enjoying ice cream together.
“I love you up to the sky and back and am very proud of you every day.”
Further images showed Shane cuddling up to Brooke as they did a number of activities together, like attending a red-carpet premiere, and spending time on the water together.
One showed her bowling a cricket ball, and another had them smiling together in London.
Shane is also a regular fixture on his daughter’s social media.
“Cute flick with the father,” Summer once captioned a black and white photo of herself and Shane, grinning.
A snap from 2016 also revealed their pride in Shane after he returned from filming his stint on I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!
Shane is seen standing with a cake that reads “we are so proud of you dad”.
Shane was also a regular feature on Summer’s TikTok, where videos of him struggling to lipsync can still be seen.
In the most recent one, he claims jetlag from flying back from Australia, and in others he can be seen posing and laughing while Summer dances, or driving her around in a fancy-looking car.
While Shane clearly loved his daughters immensely, it’s also widely known that he regretted hurting them with some of his actions.
Speaking to Leigh Sales on 7.30 in 2018, he said: “It’s pretty hard to relive some things when you’ve let down your children and your family, embarrassed them at times”.
“To hurt my children who are the most important thing in my life was really tough. The effect I had on my family, on my children – the effect I had on my children was I let them down,” he said.
“And I have to live with that for the rest of my life.”
However, his love for them was completely undeniable.
“My children fill me with laughter, joy, and above all – love. I’m so proud of them. It’s difficult to describe the love you have for your own children, but it makes you smile every time you look at them,” he once wrote on Instagram.
“My children are my number 1 priority and always will be. They inspire me to be the best person I can & motivate me on a daily basis. I love being a father (Even if it means saying yes to silly tik tok videos),” he joked.
“Brooke, Jackson and Summer you inspire me daily and I love you up to the sky and back!”
This story originally appeared on our sister site, WHO.
For more on the life and legacy of Shane Warne, read the articles below
How did Shane Warne die? All we know so far
Celebrity tributes flow in for ‘Spin King’ Shane Warne following his sudden death
Despite his legendary cricket career, Shane Warne’s greatest achievements was his kids
Inside Jackson Warne’s close relationship with his father Shane
From Simone Callahan to Liz Hurley: Shane Warne’s love life was complicated but rewarding
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