Official Cause of Death for Los Angeles Angels Legend Garret Anderson Revealed

The official cause of death for Los Angeles Angels legend Garret Anderson has been released by the coroner.

Garret Anderson, who led the Angels to their only World Series title in 2002, unexpectedly passed away last Thursday at the age of 53 after a medical emergency at his home in Newport Beach, California.

Initially, it was reported that the three-time All-Star died of a heart attack.

But on Tuesday, an Orange County Sheriff Coroner's Office spokesperson told Edward Lewis of the California Post that Anderson died of "acute necrotizing pancreatitis." The spokesperson said Anderson's death was "natural."

MDPI.com describes acute necrotizing pancreatitis as follows:

"Acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP), characterized by necrosis of pancreatic and/or peripancreatic tissues, is a potentially severe and life-threatening complication of acute pancreatitis, exhibiting a considerable mortality rate, particularly in the presence of infection, with rates ascending to 20–30%."

Anderson is survived by his wife, Teresa, and their three children.

Garret Anderson Holds Numerous Angels Records

Anderson holds several of the Angels' most valuable franchise records, including hits (2,368), total bases (3,743), singles (1,572), doubles (489), RBI (1,292), games played (2,013) and sacrifice flies (76).

In 2002, he led the Angels to their first playoff appearance in 16 years. They went on to defeat the San Francisco Giants in the World Series, the franchise's only championship to date.

Anderson put the Angels on the MLB map, along with other franchise greats like Tim Salmon, Vladimir Guerrero, Troy Glaus, Darin Erstad and Francisco Rodriguez. He also helped them to AL West division crowns in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Apr 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the Sports section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 3:01 PM.