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President Donald Trump honored baseball legend Pete Rose after the announcement of his passing on Monday.
Rose, the longtime Cincinnati Reds star known as Charlie Hustle, passed away at the age of 83. The cause of his death has not yet been made public.
“The GREAT Pete Rose just died. He was one of the most magnificent baseball players ever to play the game. He paid the price! Major League Baseball should have allowed him into the Hall of Fame many years ago. Do it now, before his funeral!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Major League Baseball offered its condolences in a statement late Monday.
“Major League Baseball extends its deepest condolences to Pete Rose’s family, his friends across the game, and the fans of his hometown of Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Montreal and beyond who admired his greatness, grit and determination on the field of play. May he rest in peace,” the MLB wrote.
Former Reds teammate Johnny Bench also shared a brief statement following Rose’s passing.
“My heart is sad,” Bench said in a statement, according to ESPN. “I loved you Peter Edward. You made all of us better. No matter the life we led. No one can replace you.”
Rose was reportedly found in his home in Las Vegas, his agent Ryan Fiterman confirmed to TMZ.
The former baseball star was known as one of the league’s best players, with 17 All-Star game appearance, three World Series titles and one MVP award in 1973.
Rose played 24 seasons, setting a league record of 4,256 hits and played in a record 3,562 games. He was also known for playing several positions, later serving in the rare role of a player-manager.
His later years were marked by controversy after Rose was banned from baseball in 1989 over betting on baseball games. He was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame but has not been inducted into the league’s Hall of Fame due to his lifetime ban.
In his later years, a push was made to add Rose to the MLB Hall of Fame despite the ban. Trump’s statement advocated for an expedited addition of the baseball great to honor Rose ahead of his upcoming funeral.
