Pete Rose, Major League Baseball’s all-time hits leader, has died at age 83, his agent Jeff Lenkov confirmed to KTLA 5 News.
According to TMZ, Rose died at his home in Las Vegas on Monday.
“The family is asking for privacy at this time,” Ryan Fiterman of Fiterman Sports told the entertainment news outlet.
The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
Rose, who went by the nickname “Charlie Hustle,” amassed 4,256 hits over 24 MLB seasons, primarily with the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies. He was named to 17 All-Star teams, earned the 1973 National League MVP award and played on three World Series championship teams.
However, despite his success on the field, Rose’s career was marred by controversy due to his gambling on baseball games, including those involving the Reds team he was managing at the time.
In 1989, after an investigation, Rose was permanently banned from baseball, making him ineligible for the Hall of Fame – a punishment he fought until the end.
“There’s nothing I can change about the history of Pete Rose,” Rose told KTLA in what proved to be his final interview. “I keep convincing myself or telling myself, ‘Hang in there, Pete, you’ll get a second chance.’”
