Family, friends bid adieu to spin legend Shane Warne in private funeral (PHOTOS)

Warne was arguably one of his most influential cricketers and was widely credited for rekindling the art of leg-spin bowling in an era dominated by fast bowlers.

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In an emotional farewell, family, friends, members of the sporting community and entertainers gathered to bid goodbye to Australian spin legend Shane Warne at a private funeral held at his hometown in Melbourne on Sunday.

One of the finest bowlers of all time, Shane Warne, passed away about two weeks ago at the age of 52 due to a heart attack in the Thai resort island of Koh Samui. Thai authorities said an autopsy showed his death was from natural causes, and Warne's family later accepted the findings.

Around 80 people attended Warne's funeral today, including Australian legends Mark Taylor, Allan Border, Michael Clarke and former England skipper Michael Vaughan.

Warne's long-time teammates Ian Healy and Mark Waugh also attended the private funeral and legendary bowlers Merv Hughes and Glenn McGrath.

Guests were asked to wear St Kilda scarves, and a pair of them were draped across Warne's coffin as it was driven around the oval of St Kilda Football Club to popular songs including the 1970s Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes hit 'The Time of My Life', the Australian Associated Press reported.

Warne was arguably one of his most influential cricketers and was widely credited for rekindling the art of leg-spin bowling in an era dominated by fast bowlers.

In his 15-year-career, Warne claimed 708 wickets in Tests and 293 wickets in ODIs. Warne also became the first player in over 90 years to take a hat-trick in the Ashes when he achieved the feat against England at Melbourne in 1994. In 2013, Warne was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

A charter plane carrying Warne's body landed in his home city of Melbourne last week after an eight-hour flight from Thailand. A state memorial service will be held at the 100,000-seater Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on March 30.