Nevada officials have said that baseball legend Pete Rose’s death on Monday was due to natural causes.
Clark County coroner Melanie Rouse said in a media statement on Tuesday that Rose died from “hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with a significant condition of diabetes mellitus.”
“The manner of death was natural,” Rouse said.
Rose died at his Las Vegas home at the age of 83.
Rose played in the Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 1986. During this time, he spent most of his career with the Cincinnati Reds, later serving as the team’s manager.
“The Reds are heartbroken to learn of the passing of baseball legend Pete Rose,” the Reds said in a post on X.
The MLB also issued a statement saying it “extends its deepest condolences to Pete Rose’s family, his friends across the game, and the fans of his hometown of Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Montreal and beyond who admired his greatness, grit and determination on the field of play. May he rest in peace.”
Former New York Yankee Wade Boggs, who also won multiple batting titles, said Rose was a dear friend who will be missed.
“Words can’t describe how I feel right now. My idol and friend. Growing up wanting to be Pete Rose. You’ll be dearly missed my friend,” he said on X.
Rose amassed 4,256 hits as a player, played 3,562 games, and had 14,053 at-bats, all of which are MLB records.
During spring training of 1963, Rose earned his nickname “Charlie Hustle” from Yankees Whitey Ford and Mickey Mantle, who sarcastically made it up after watching Rose run to first on a walk, according to an ESPN biography.
Rose led his hometown team, the Reds, to win back-to-back World Series in 1975 and 1976 and four pennants, which are given to teams with the best regular-season record.
He also helped the Philadelphia Phillies win one World Series in 1980 and two pennants.
Rose was also named All-Star 17 times and won the NL MVP in 1973. Batting an average of .303. He also hit 160 home runs.
Rose was also known for his famous quotes and advice, including one for young players entering the game.
“I can give you three bits of advice and it’s good for a baseball player, a football player, a businessman, life in general … One, be aggressive. Two, be more aggressive. And three, never be satisfied,” as he would say. “That’s the way I played the game—never satisfied.”
However, Rose‘s glory on the field was partially overshadowed by a 1989 betting scandal that prevented him from being named to the game’s Hall of Fame.
He denied the allegations for 15 years before releasing his book “My Prison Without Bars”, published in 2004. In it, he admitted to wagering on major league games, including the Reds, but said he never bet against his own team.
Reuters contributed to this report.