"That light will continue to burn bright in our memories forever more and we'll miss you," she told a gathering of more than 50,000 in a venue which had witnessed many of Warne’s greatest moments in cricket.

Sir Elton John played his hit Don’t let the sun go down on me and dedicated the performance to Warne’s children Summer, Brooke and Jackson.

"It is a sad day today but it is not in some other ways because his legacy lives on and he will live on through future generations because he was mesmerising,he was brilliant and he loved to play cricket and he loved life," Sir Elton, a life-long cricket fan, said.

He described Warne as "probably one of the greatest sportsmen ever, and certainly one of the most amazing Australian cricketers of all time".

Ed Sheeran also joined tributes as he performed Thinking in Out loud as part of a recorded message.

"Shane was an incredible human to me and every single person that he came across, I've just got such wonderful stories of him," Sheeran said.

Robbie Williams sang his hit Angels in another video message to the ceremony and actor Hugh Jackman recalled his net sessions with the cricketer. 

Warne’s family had a central part in the event.

"He loved life and lived for sport," his father Keith said.

"The family lost a beloved son, a loving brother to Jason and a devoted father to Brooke, Jackson and Summer and the world lost a much-loved cricket legend whose feats on and off the field will go down in history for all time,"

Warne made his Test debut under the captaincy of Allan Border who had masterminded Australia’s revival in the early nineties.

"I was lucky to have two years with Shane, and I'd just thank him for that." said a tearful Border.

Warne took a hat-trick in the 1994 Boxing Day test match against England at the MCG and in 2006 he dismissed England batsman Andrew Strauss to record his 700th test wicket, the first to record such a milestone.

He finished with 708 wickets in 145 test matches and famously auctioned his treasured Australian cap, known as a "Baggy Green" to support victims of the Australian bush fires.

Warne's youngest daughter Summer gave a poignant address at the service.

"I've had to come to terms with the fact that you won't be able to walk down the aisle on my special day," Summer said.

"You're never going to meet your grandchildren that you're going to have some day, they would have loved and adored you just like I do."

Warne was also an enthusiastic fan of Australian rules, the other sport widely played at the MCG.

As the ceremony came to an end, Warne’s children had one final duty at a part of the Ground previously known as the Great Southern Stand.

It will now be known as the "Shane Warne Stand".

The player's own typically self deprecatory assessment had been "I smoked, I drank and I played a little cricket".

To many in cricket and beyond, the man they knew as "Warnie" had done so much more.