Frank Fritz, one of the co-hosts of American Pickers, has died at age 60, two years after he suffered a serious stroke. He was 60 years old.
Fritz appeared in 308 episodes of the popular History Channel show alongside his co-star Mike Wolfe, before leaving American Pickers in 2021. The pair travelled around America looking for rare artifacts and treasures to sell or add to their personal collections.
“This is a very tough announcement to make,” reads a post on the Facebook page, Frank Fritz Friends. “Frank passed away last night around 7:30.”
Another post on the page added that Fritz “passed away peacefully surrounded by his closest friends.”
“He fought a valiant battle the last two years with many ups and downs but ultimately the combination of the severe stroke and his Crohn’s disease was just too much for his body to bear.”
Pickers co-host Wolfe paid tribute to Fritz in an Instagram post, writing that his heart is “broken.”
“I’ve known Frank for more then half my life and what you’ve seen on TV has always been what I have seen, a dreamer who was just as sensitive as he was funny,” Wolfe wrote. “The same off camera as he was on, Frank had a way of reaching the hearts of so many by just being himself.”
The pair were friends before starting American Pickers together. Wolfe shared that they would “take off together to places we never knew existed with no destination in mind and just the shared passion to discover something interesting and historic.”
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“We’ve been on countless trips and shared so many miles and I feel blessed that I was there by his side when he took one last journey home. I love you buddy and will miss you so much,” Wolfe added.
Fritz had largely been out of the public eye after suffering a severe stroke in 2022. A year before that, in 2021, Fritz told The Sun he hadn’t talked to Wolfe in two years amid a feud between the two. The last time he appeared on a show was in March 2020, The Sun reported at the time.
When Fritz had his stroke, the pair seemed to put their differences behind them.
Wolfe posted that Fritz was hospitalized following the stroke and he asked fans to keep the co-host in their “hearts and thoughts.”
“I have been very private in the past year in regards to Frank’s life and the journey he’s been on. There has been lots of opinions in regards to mine and Frank’s friendship and the show but now is not the time to set the record straight. Now is the time to pray for my friend,” Wolfe wrote on Instagram at the time.
“Frank I pray more than anything that you make it through this okay. I love you buddy.”
The History Channel and Pickers producer Cineflix Production released a joint statement in the wake of Fritz’s death.
“Frank filmed American Pickers for over a decade,” the statement reads. “We will always remember ‘the bearded charmer’ and his never-ending search for vintage motorcycles and bikes. Our thoughts are with Frank’s loved ones during this difficult time.”
Fritz’s manager Bill Stankey told People that he was “an exceptional human being.”
“He loved life, he cared about people, he always had a kind word to say and he knew more about Americana and antiques than anyone I ever met,” Stankey said, adding that Fritz was the “anchor” of American Pickers.
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