SHANE WARNE once compared the quality of his life to a soap opera, but the Australian legend was exaggerating.

The 52-year-old leg-spin genius, who died on Friday from a suspected heart attack, sent shockwaves through cricketing circles.

Live updates from Shane Warne's death can be found on our Shane Warne Blog

Warne was probably more well-known for his celebrity status in glossy magazines than he was as a cricketer. This is a remarkable feat considering he was an exceptional player.

He was unique.

Warney looked like your typical Aussie surfer. A down-to-earth, diamond-in-the-rough-type that people couldn't help but be drawn to.

For every scandal on the playboy level, there was a funny tale that showcased his 'average Joe personality' that captured the attention of the public.

Warne's request that Australian chiefs fly in almost 2,000 tins baked beans to India for his 1998 tour of India is a perfect example of this essence. He refused to eat Indian food and demanded that they do so.

Warne was easy for people to like as a character, thanks to his admission that he drank ten pints, ate chips, and smoked during matches.

In addition to his spectacular cricketing achievements, the king spin was also known for his off-field adventures, which included A-list romances and womanizing.

It is possible that none of this would have happened if it weren't for the fateful June 1993 day... The day that changed Warne’s life forever and changed cricket forever.

Warne will be forever remembered for the most important thing, above all the off-field dramas (707 other Test wickets).

This was 29 years ago. Warne bowled what would become known as 'The Ball of the Century'.

The name may be a disservice to spinner Mike Gatting, who was bamboozled by the spinner with an incredible leg break.

Warne was only 23 years old when he fell to the Old Trafford floor with his jaws on the ground during an Ashes one-sided series.

It was his first test against England. It was his first Ashes appearance. It was also his first BALL appearance in the series.

The youngster, despite his fear, continued to trundle to the crease and lobbed up a leg-spinner that appeared to be drifting miles down one leg side. However, the ball turned, bounced, and crashed into the stump.

Gatting's response was the best. It was a remarkable event. In disbelief, the England batsman stood still.

Did the keeper have his bails accidentally knocked off? He had trampled on his stumps.

No cricketer, not even a rookie, on a green English wicket could make the ball THAT as much.

It's safe to say that the cricket world will never be the same.

When Warne came onto the cricketing scene, leg spin was at the edge of extinction.

The art of wrist spin suddenly became sexy again.

There have been many, if not hundreds, of imitations since then, but none has come even close to Warne.

The first Australian bowler to achieve 700 Test wickets was the Aussie, who then retired on a high following the 2006-07 Ashes series with 708 scalps.

He also took 10 match-ten-wicket and 37 innings-five wicket hauls.

Warne was awarded the Man of the Match title at the World Cup finals and also won a Test hat trick.

Warney's greatest strength was his nagging consistency, which is rare in leg-spinners. However, Warney had many tricks including a flipper and slider. He could bowl almost any type of ball.

Warne also had a great bat. No one has ever scored more Test runs than Warne, who had 3,154 total.

Warne was close on several occasions with a score of 99.

Amazingly, Warne played long after his 2007 Test retirement and continued to play in the IPL as well as other Twenty20 competitions.

In 2014, he even commanded a Rest of the World XI at the Bicentenary Celebration match Lord's.

Simply put, there has never existed a better leg-spinner for world cricket. There won't be another.

It is possible to argue that he was the best bowler of all time.

Glenn McGrath and Murali Muralitharan, Richard Hadlee and Richard Akram, Allan Donald, and many other bowlers aspire to be called the GOAT.

Warne might be the one. The only true 'best ever'.

Even more impressive was Warne's game-changing genius despite his off-field controversy.

The Australian Cricket Board disclosed in 1998 that Warne and Mark Waugh had received money from a bookmaker three years prior to this revelation.

After testing positive for a banned Diuretic that his mother had given him to improve his appearance, Warne was sent home by Australia just one day before the World Cup began.

Warne is often in conflict with his rivals on the pitch. He was also fined in 2013 after a spat with Marlon Sams. After previously being ordered to pay for a war between Arjuna Ranatunga and Warne, he was again fined.

Warne was also known for his flirtations with a string women, despite being a cricketer.

Between 1995 and 2005, he was married to Simone Callahan, with whom he had three children.

However, the great Aussie was famously caught sending explicit messages to a British nurse and to a student five years later.

After his divorce in 2007, Warne was photographed wearing his underwear alongside models Coralie Eichholz (left) and Emma Kearney (right).

Following reconciliation with Simone Warne is reported to have sent a message meant for another woman to his ex wife - leading to another divorce.

Warne is most famous for his brief, tumultuous affair with Liz Hurley.

They were caught on camera kissing in 2010. The couple were then engaged one year later, despite the cricketer being caught texting a married Melbourne woman.

The relationship ended in 2013. From the first day, the couple was on the front pages in the most prestigious magazines until their relationship ended.

That's Warne in a nutshell. Big, brash, bold, brazen.

Warne was an extraordinary character, whether he played cricket or not.

Warney, much like his Ball of the Century was a once-in-a-generation figure.