Pete Rose, Baseball’s All-Time Hits Leader Whose Career Ended in Disgrace, Dies at 83

Pete Rose, the Cincinnati Reds legend whose career ended when he was banned from baseball for betting on games in 1989, died at his home in Las Vegas on Monday, September 30. He was 83 years old.

His death was confirmed to TMZ by his agent Ryan Fiterman of Fiterman Sports. “The family requests privacy at this time,” he told the news outlet. The medical examiner in Clark County, Nev. also confirmed Rose’s death to ESPN and ABC News, adding that Rose was found by a family member.

The cause of death was not immediately released. The Clark County Coroner will investigate the cause of death, there are no signs of foul play, ABC News reports.

“Our hearts are deeply saddened by the news of Pete’s passing,” Reds principal owner and managing partner Bob Castellini said in a statement. “He was one of the fiercest competitors the game has ever seen, and every team he played for was better because of him. Pete was Red all the way. No one loved the game more than Pete and no one loved Pete more than Reds Country. We must never forget what he accomplished.”

Born in Cincinnati on April 14, 1941, Rose would go on to represent his hometown on the baseball field for the Cincinnati Reds beginning in 1963. That same year, he was awarded Rookie of the Year.

Rose, who earned the nickname “Charlie Hustle” during his playing career, played for the Reds from 1963 to 1978, during the Big Red Machine era when they dominated baseball in the 1970s. He played all positions except center, catcher and pitcher.

Pete Rose at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, New York, New York, July 24, 1978.

Gary Gershoff/Getty

Later, Rose also played for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Montreal Expos. He ended his playing career by returning to Cincinnati, where he retired from playing in 1986. Rose continued to lead the team until 1989.

During his career, Rose made 17 All-Star appearances and won three World Series titles – two with the Reds in 1975 and 1976 and one with the Phillies in 1980. He also won the National League MVP award in 1973 and had 4,256 hits. , which remains the record for most hits by a player in MLB history.

Pete Rose on December 15, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ethan Miller/Getty

In 1989, he was banned from baseball by then-MLB Commissioner Bart Giamatti after the league determined he had bet on baseball during his final season as manager of the Reds. Rose initially denied betting on the game, but in his 2004 autobiography, Pete Rose: My Storyhe admitted to betting on teams, including his own.

MLB never overturned the lifetime ban. He applied for reinstatement several times, the last time in 2015, but was rejected each time. Rose’s career continued to be celebrated, as he was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 2016 and had his number 14 retired. In 2017, the team dedicated a statue to him outside Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.

In 1990, Rose pleaded guilty to tax evasion. He spent five months in prison and paid a $50,000 fine for tax evasion. Los Angeles Times. He failed to report more than $354,000 in income he received from baseball memorabilia sales, autograph appearances and the aforementioned gambling.

Although his history with the league was complicated, in 1999 he was allowed to take the field as a member of MLB’s All-Century Team in a ceremony at Turner Field.

Pete Rose at Great American Ball Park on July 14, 2015 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Elsa/Getty

In 2003, he expressed his regret for gambling and denial during an interview with ABC News. “I bet on baseball in 1987 and 1988,” he said. “That was my mistake, which I didn’t admit much earlier.”

“I think what happens is you bet on football at that time, and then what comes after football is basketball … and obviously the next thing that comes after is baseball,” he continued. “It’s just a pattern you’ve fallen into.”

Rose was the subject of a July 2024 documentary series about Max Charlie Hustle & The Matter of Pete Rose, in which he spoke with director Mark Monroe about his continued efforts to return to work. Monroe told PEOPLE in July, “He’s a complicated character, and those are the characters we love the most.”

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Rose’s representatives did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Monday.

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