After being admitted to a hospital with melancholia in 1905, East slit his throat with a straight razor, committing suicide at the age of 43.
[1] Frank Russo, in his 2014 book The Cooperstown Chronicles, lists East's birthplace as St. Louis, Missouri, where the ballplayer would spend most of his life.
[2] East's only Major League Baseball (MLB) game came on June 17, 1882, at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, though he played for the visiting Baltimore Orioles as they competed against the St. Louis Browns of the fledgling American Association.
[4] In 1886, East played for the Lincoln Tree Planters of the Western League, though statistics from this season are unavailable.
He was buried a few days later in the International Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Cemetery in Xenia, Illinois.