Baseball-Pete Rose Died of Natural Causes, Coroner's Office Says

Jun 17, 2017; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Reds former player Pete Rose speaks during a pregame ceremony of the unveiling of his bronze statue at Great American Ball Park. (Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports)

(Reuters) - Former Major League Baseball star Pete Rose's death at his home in Las Vegas on Monday was due to natural causes, the Clark County coroner's office said.

The cause of death of the 83-year-old Rose was determined to be "hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with a significant condition of diabetes mellitus," Clark County coroner Melanie Rouse said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The manner of death was natural," she said.

Rose is baseball's all-time leader in hits with 4,256 and was the engine of the Cincinnati Reds' "Big Red Machine" that won back-to-back World Series titles in 1975 and 1976. He won a third championship with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980.

However, Rose's glory on the field was partially overshadowed by the betting scandal that kept him from being named to the game's Hall of Fame.

He was barred for life from baseball by Commissioner Bart Giamatti in 1989, after an investigation into allegations Rose had broken baseball's cardinal rule by gambling on games while he was manager of the Reds.

Rose proclaimed his innocence for 15 years, before admitting in 2004 he had bet on games though never against his own team.

Rose petitioned the league to be allowed back into the sport numerous times over the years but was unsuccessful.

 

(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Leslie Adler)