‘The love of my life’: Dean Jones’ wife breaks silence on shock death

Dean Jones’ wife of 34 years Jane has shared a heartbreaking tribute to her “beautiful husband” who sadly passed on Thursday after suffering a fatal heart attack in Mumbai.

The 59-year-old was working in India for broadcaster Star Sports where he was commentating on the IPL alongside former player Brett Lee.

According to multiple reports, Jones suffered a heart attack in the lobby of a Mumbai hotel and Lee attempted to save him by performing CPR. He was rushed to the hospital via ambulance but sadly could not be saved. However, Lee honoured his colleague and returned to the commentary booth just hours after the distressing incident, saying Deano would have “wanted us to be here tonight”.

In an emotional tribute released through Melbourne Cricket Club over the weekend, Jane said she and her girls were “devastated” by the sudden loss. Jane shares two daughters, Isabella and Phoebe, with the late cricket legend.

“My girls and I are devastated and saddened beyond belief to hear of Dean’s death in India,” Jane said. “My beautiful husband, the love of my life has lived his life with every bit of energy at his disposal, and he leaves an enormous gap in our lives which can never be filled.

“He leaves us with so many wonderful memories that will last forever. At this challenging time, when our grief is so raw, we have drawn much consolation from the many messages of goodwill and support from so many people around the world.

“Given Dean’s special love for the sub-continent, it was especially touching to hear so broadly from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. We are overwhelmed by the scale of the response to the news of his death and we will forever be grateful for that.

She continued: “At this moment, we would sincerely ask the cricketing world to respect the privacy of our family. Details of Dean’s memorial celebration will be released in due course, so everyone has the chance to rightly commemorate his wonderful legacy and bid farewell.”

Dean was one of Australia’s most loved cricket stars and was part of the Australian team that won the 1987 World Cup against all odds, beating rivals England in the final. He is also credited with revolutionising the way the one-day game is played.