As Australians mourn the vibrant life of the late Shane Warne, more details surrounding his state funeral service at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) are unfolding as we near closer to the date.
Most fans will be watching the funeral from their living rooms on March 30 as it will be broadcasted live across the country on free to air stations, including the ABC, Nine, Kayo Sports and Foxtel.
Channel Seven is offering commercial-free coverage of the service from 7 pm on Channel 7 and 7plus live from the MCG, which is hosting a crowd of 40,000 people.
Due to time differences, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth will have to catch the live footage on 7plus.
The Victorian government will also live stream the footage on their website here.
Melbourne fans can purchase tickets for the event via Ticketek. but some states around the country are also offering events for fans to attend the funeral via live stream.
In New South Wales, premier Dominic Perrottet has revealed that the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) will offer free unticketed entry to a telecast of the memorial.
“We are working through that at the moment with (Venues NSW chairman) Tony Shepherd and the team at Cricket Australia,” he announced.
“We want to run those events alongside each other. Obviously, we will live stream the memorial service in the MCG – that’s incredibly important.”
In South Australia, a similar event starting at 7pm will take place at Adelaide Oval.
Shane was laid to rest in a private ceremonyat St Kilda’s football club on Sunday, March 2, two weeks after his tragic death from a suspected heart attack in Thailand.
His three children Brooke, Jackson and Summer ex-wife Simone Callahan, and his famous friends Eddie McGuire, Dannii Minogue, and Michael Clarke, were all in attendance.
The cricketer’s public funeral will feature even more of the biggest names in entertainment, with Elton John, Ed Sheeran, and Coldplay’s Chris Martin reported to perform via live stream.
News.com.au has also reported that Shane’s former fiancée Liz Hurley will attend the event in person, after she was unable to attend the private funeral.
“My heart aches that I can’t be in Australia tomorrow for Shane’s funeral,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
“I was filming last night and, with the time jump, physically can’t get there. These pictures were taken in Sri Lanka to celebrate our engagement – we had all our children with us, and it was the happiest time.
“It still hasn’t really sunk in that he’s gone. It seems too cruel that all the people who loved him will never have another Lion hug, but our memories will live forever. RIP Lionheart, with love, your Luna.”
For more on Shane Warne and his legacy, check out the following stories:
He was the ultimate cricket legend, but to his three kids Shane Warne was just Dad
“So similar in so many ways”: Shane Warne’s close bond with his eldest daughter Brooke
“I want him to be really proud of me”: How Jackson Warne stepped out of dad Shane Warne’s shadow
Here is how you can watch Shane Warne’s documentary ‘Shane’ for insight into his iconic story