Dean Jones, notable commentator and former Australian cricketer died after suffering cardiac arrest at 59 in Mumbai where he was busy commentating in IPL 2020 and is survived by two daughters and his wife, Jane Jones.
Jane, the wife of late Australian cricketer Dean Jones, opened up on the void left behind by his death in Mumbai on September 24. Dean Jones was in India for commentary duties for IPL 2020 passed away due to a heart attack in his hotel room.
Dean Jones Death Leaves Family Devastated
Dean Jones died on 24 September 2020 in Mumbai due to cardiac arrest, aged 59. He was a part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) commentary team for the Star Network at the time of his death. Former Australian cricketer Brett Lee, who was part of commentary team tried in vain to resuscitate him.
“My girls and I are devastated and saddened beyond belief to hear of Dean’s death in India,” Jane told The Age.
“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.”
Deane Jones was born on 24th March 1961 and played for Australia in 52 Tests and 164 ODIs.
Dean Jones’ Wife Jane Jones Thanks Brett Lee
Jane Jones also thanked Australian pacer Brett Lee, who tried to revive Dean Jones by performing CPR twice.
“We want to especially thank and acknowledge Brett Lee’s tireless efforts to keep Dean alive,” Jane said.
“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.”
Brett Lee, meanwhile, shared a video on Twitter showing happy days with fellow commentator Dean Jones during the quarantine period in India.
In an Instagram post, Deane Jones’ daughter Phoebe Jones too thanked Brett Lee for his efforts.
“Our family is eternally grateful to Brett Lee for doing everything he could,” she said. “We are overwhelmed with your outpouring of kind words, support and tributes.
“His legacy will live on in every life he touched.”
“I just keep staring at my phone waiting for him to call and tell me this is just a bad dream.”
Another daughter of Dane Jones’ Augusta Jones too posted on Instagram saying that everything she does is for his father and her heart is broken by his demise.
“I cannot believe I am writing this. My heart is broken, My Dad. My Hero. The sweetest and most caring person you could ever meet,” she wrote.
“If only you could see now how many lives you touched. If only you could see now how loved you were.”
“You held my hand through the toughest times this year, how will I do this without you?”
“The heavens have opened their gates for another angel. Wait for me dad. Everything I do is for you. I love you Dad.”
Dane Jones played primarily as a batsman besides bowling right-arm off-spin. He played from 1984 to 1994 for Australia and retired from all formats in 1998, after which he took up commentary.