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How did Pete Rose die? Coroner announces cause of death

How did Pete Rose die? Coroner announces cause of death

Cincinnati Reds star Pete Rose died Monday at his home in Las Vegas of a serious heart condition, a Nevada coroner said Tuesday.

Rose, 83, suffered from hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which occurs when blood vessels become thicker and stiffer, making the heart work harder and making it harder to circulate oxygen and nutrients throughout the body.

Melanie Rouse, the coroner in Clark County, Nevada, where Rose lived, confirmed the cause of death in a statement Tuesday. Rose's heart condition is common – about half of Americans over 45 suffer from it – and can worsen with age.

That appears to have been the case with Rose, who was in a wheelchair during his last public appearance on Sunday at a sports memorabilia show in Nashville, Tennessee.

Rose acknowledged his health problems in 2018, when his lawyers disclosed in court filings related to his divorce that he was “in poor health and disabled.” In the same divorce case, Rose's lawyers said he had difficulty walking, was taking blood thinners and had three heart procedures in five years.

“His health is deteriorating,” court documents state.

Despite these difficulties, Rose maintained a busy schedule and continued to travel around the country, often to sports memorabilia shows. He frequently appeared at casinos in Las Vegas, signing autographs and posing for photos with fans.

At the event in Nashville on Sunday, he met several of his teammates from his days in Cincinnati with the Big Red Machine at the annual Music City Sports Collectibles and Autograph Show. A photo on Facebook showed Rose in a wheelchair while the others stood next to him.

Rose flew home to Las Vegas a short time later and died the next day. “Amazing that they all got to see each other one last time,” the post reads.

Earlier this year, in April, Rose canceled an appearance at former UC basketball coach Bob Huggins' annual fundraiser in West Virginia “for health reasons,” according to a post on the event's Facebook account. “We send Pete our warmest wishes for a full and speedy recovery,” the post reads.

In recent years, Rose had often spoken of his mortality and his desire to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, an honor that had eluded him for three decades because Major League Baseball was found to be permanently banned that he had bet on baseball.

He was recently the subject of an HBO documentary about his life on and off the field, including his gambling. And in an interview with The Enquirer in June, Rose reflected on that life, the consequences of his gambling and his legacy in baseball and beyond.

“What, are they waiting for me to die?” Rose said of his chances of being inducted into the Hall of Fame. “Wouldn’t it be terrible if I die next week and they reinstate me next year?”

The future was also on Rose's mind on September 21, when he featured his final post on the social media site in a Philadelphia newspaper article.

“I couldn’t be prouder of my grandson,” Rose wrote. “Keep La Salle baseball moving forward. The #Rose legacy lives on.”

(This story has been updated with new information.)

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