Controversial MLB legend Pete Rose dies at 83

(NEXSTAR) – Legendary baseball player Pete Rose has died at the age of 83, according to several reports Monday.

TMZ reported that Rose died earlier in the day at his Las Vegas home. Rose’s agent, Ryan Fiterman, told the outlet that “the family is asking for privacy at this time.”

The medical examiner in Clark County, Nevada, also confirmed his death to ABC News and the Associated Press. Stephanie Wheatley, a spokesperson for Clark County, told the AP that his cause and manner of death had not yet been determined.

Major League Baseball, which banished Rose in 1989, issued a brief statement expressing condolences and noting his “greatness, grit and determination on the field of play.”

Nicknamed “Charlie Hustle,” the 17-time All-Star holds the Major League Baseball record for the most career hits with 4,256, followed by Ty Cobb (4,191) and Hank Aaron (3,771).

The Cincinnati native started his pro career in 1963 with his hometown Reds but would go on to play for the Philadelphia Phillies, as well as a brief stint with the Montreal Expos.

Rose’s hard-nosed approach to the game made him a superstar, but controversy clouded his reputation in later years. He was given a lifetime ban in 1989 for gambling after an investigation found that he was placing bets on the Reds to win during the 1985-1987 seasons, all while playing for – and managing – the team.

During one of his final interviews, Rose questioned the ban and hoped for a second chance.

“I was absolutely 110% wrong for what I did. But to do something like I did, and that’s bet on baseball games — and now you’re punished for the rest of your life — I don’t think it makes a lot of sense to a lot of people,” he told Nexstar’s KTLA .

“There’s nothing I can change about the history of Pete Rose,” he also said during the interview. “I keep convincing myself or telling myself, ‘Hang in there, Pete, you’ll get a second chance.”

In his post-baseball life, Rose did make it to a few honorary associations. The Reds voted him into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2016, the year before a bronze sculpture of Rose’s iconic slide was unveiled outside of Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park.

Rose was never inducted into Cooperstown, but his career was well represented. Items at the Baseball Hall include his helmet from his MVP 1973 season, the bat he used in 1978 when his hitting streak reached 44, and the cleats he wore in 1985 on the day he became the game’s hits king.

Reds principal owner and managing partner Bob Castellini said in a statement that Rose was “one of the fiercest competitors the game has ever seen” and added: “We must never forget what he accomplished.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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