Pete Rose's cause of death revealed after legend spent final day with ex-Reds teammates

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The cause of baseball legend Pete Rose’s death in Nevada was revealed on Tuesday.

Clark County coroner Melanie Rouse determined that Rose died of natural causes which stemmed from hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to a statement.

Diabetes also was cited as a contributing factor, according to the findings.

Rose died at the age of 83 on Monday at his home in Las Vegas.

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While there hadn’t been any recent reports that his health was failing or that he was seriously ill, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported that court filings in 2018 connected to his divorce indicated that the Cincinnati Reds legend was “in poor health and disabled.”

Rose’s lawyer also said that the baseball great had struggled to walk, had been on blood thinners and underwent three heart procedures in five years, according to the outlet.

However, Rose appeared to be in good spirits the day before his death. The MLB all-time hits leader spent Sunday with fellow members of the Reds’ World Series teams from 1975 and 1976.

A photo from the Facebook page of the Music City Sports Collectables and Autograph Show showed Rose in a wheelchair along with former teammates Dave Concepcion, George Foster, Tony Perez and Ken Griffey Sr.

Rose was one of the most controversial figures in baseball for decades. The 17-time all-star holds the major league record for hits with 4,256. He also earned two Gold Gloves and won three World Series championships during his 24-year career, spent mostly with the Reds.

However, he was banned from the sport in 1989 for betting on baseball, which made him ineligible for enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

While he spent years denying the allegations, Rose ultimately owned up to his mistake in 2004, but insisted that he had never bet against his own team.

Major League Baseball released a tribute to Rose following his death, but did not mention his ban.

“Major League Baseball extends its deepest condolences to Pete Rose’s family, his friends across the game, and the fans of his hometown of Cincinnati, Philadelphia and beyond who admired his greatness, grit and determination on the field of play. May he rest in peace,” the league said in the statement.