MLB legend Pete Rose died from heart disease, according to a coroner’s report released one day after his death at age 83.
The Clark County Medical Examiner in Nevada ruled Rose’s death as natural, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. He was found dead at his home in Las Vegas on Monday.
Rose’s official cause of death was listed as hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to TMZ. Atherosclerosis is defined by plaque buildup on the walls of blood vessels.
In 2018 court filings related to his second divorce, Rose said he was in poor health and was disabled. He was taking blood thinners and had undergone three heart procedures in the previous five years, according to the documents.
However, Rose continued traveling the country and making money at autograph signings. He made an appearance as recently as Sunday at an event in Nashville along with his former teammates on the Cincinnati Reds. He appeared at that event in a wheelchair.
Rose played 24 years of Major League Baseball and remains the game’s all-time leader in hits (4,256), games played (3,562), plate appearances and at bats. He won three World Series titles with the powerhouse 1970s Reds and appeared in 17 All-Star Games. His lone MVP award came in 1973.
He tallied hits in 44 straight games during the 1978 season, a National League record and the second-longest hit single-season streak of all time.
However, Rose is not in the Hall of Fame because he was banned from baseball in the late 1980s for betting on games while playing and managing the Reds. Though Rose applied for reinstatement multiple times, he was consistently denied.
