Baseball legend Garret Anderson was dealing with multiple serious medical conditions when he died earlier this month, including a kidney three times bigger than it should have been.
The Los Angeles Angels icon officially died from acute necrotizing pancreatitis, the coroner revealed after his death, but now an autopsy on his body has detailed further medical issues for the 53-year-old.
According to TMZ, it was discovered that the World Series winner had a ‘massive fatty liver’ that weighed nearly 9.2lbs, while the average adult male’s liver weighs around 3-4lbs typically.
In addition, he had ‘hypertensive-type cardiovascular disease’ and ‘severe hepatic steatosis’, which is the most advanced stage of fat build-up in the liver.
Anderson was also diagnosed with cardiomegaly, which is an enlarged heart. A typical adult male’s heart weighs between 250 and 350 grams, while his was 450g during the autopsy.
His death occurred on April 16 at the age of 53, after a medical emergency was reported at his home in Newport Beach, California.
Garret Anderson, a World Series winner with the Los Angeles Angels, died earlier this month
Anderson, a 2002 World Series winner, officially died from an issue with his pancreas
Anderson’s wife, Teresa, had initially told ESPN that she believed her husband had died from a heart attack.
Anderson won a World Series with the Angels in 2002 during a 17-year career in baseball. He is also the organization’s all-time hits leader and became an All-Star three times during the course of his distinguished career.
The Angels said in a statement on Friday: ‘We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Angels Hall of Famer Garret Anderson.
‘Garret will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Angels fans for his professionalism, class, and loyalty throughout his career and beyond.
‘We extend our deepest condolences to Garret’s wife Teresa, daughters Brianne and Bailey, son Garret ‘Trey’ Anderson III, and his entire family.’
Anderson was the driving force behind the Angels winning the World Series back in 2002
Anderson, who grew up in Los Angeles, was drafted by the Angels in 1990 and ended up leading the team to this day in games played (2,013), hits (2,368), RBIs (1,292) and grand slams (eight).
But it’s the World Series triumph which Angels fans specifically remember Anderson for – stepping up on the big stage to carry his team to glory.
He went 9-for-32 in the seven-game thriller with the San Francisco Giants, driving in six runs.
‘He was really the foundation of our championship run back in 2002,’ his manager Mike Scioscia said of that series, before Anderson’s death.
‘Garret played hard, he wanted to win. He just was a terrific talent and a terrific person.’
Anderson worked as a broadcaster covering the Angels after he retired from baseball
Anderson spent 15 seasons with the team before rounding out the final two years of his career with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers.
He returned to the Angels during his retirement years as a broadcaster covering the team.
Anderson entered the Angels’ Hall of Fame in 2016 and said his greatest attribute was putting the team before his own success.
The Angels, 11-13 so far in 2026, are going to wear a patch on their jerseys in tribute to Anderson for the rest of the season. It will feature his initials and the years of his life as a patch.
