Pete Rose’s Cause Of Death Released By Coroner

Baseball icon Pete Rose died from natural causes rooted in high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries, a coroner determined, according to a statement released Tuesday.

Nevada’s Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse revealed that diabetes was a contributing factor.

“Hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with a significant condition of diabetes mellitus,” she said in the statement.

A lawyer had indicated in the former star’s divorce case in 2018 that the “disabled” Rose had undergone three heart procedures in five years and was on blood thinners, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

Rose died Monday at home in Las Vegas at age 83, just a day after the legend, pictured in a wheelchair, reunited with teammates from the Cincinnati Reds’ 1975 and ’76 World Series championship teams in Nashville. He also won a title with the 1980 Philadelphia Phillies.

Rose had more hits than anyone in MLB history (4,256). But he was banned from the game for life in 1989 for betting on games, including those of his own team when he was manager, and thus deemed ineligible for the Hall of Fame.