American Pickers The star Frank Fritz died at the age of 60, his old co-host, Mike Wolfe, announced on Tuesday. Fritz and Wolfe starred alongside each other for more than a decade on the popular History Channel series, which chronicled the pair's travels across America in search of rare artifacts and treasures.
According to TMZFritz was hospitalized two years ago for a stroke that “occurred amid a myriad of other health problems.” However, the cause of death is still unclear. The series premiered in January 2010; Fritz left the series in 2020 after the 21st season. At the time, it was reported that he was leaving due to his struggle with Crohn's disease and back surgery.
Wolfe paid tribute to his friend's death in a heartfelt Instagram post.
“It is with a broken heart that I share with everyone that Frank passed away last night,” she said. “I've known Frank for more than half my life, and what you saw on TV was always what I saw, a dreamer who was as sensitive as he was funny. Just like him off camera, Frank managed to touch the hearts of so many people that he was himself.”
“Who would have thought that we would be sharing the cockpit of a white cargo van in front of millions of people interested in our adventures,” Wolfe continued. “Before the show, we went together to places we didn't even know existed, with no destination in mind and just a shared passion to discover something interesting and historic.”
She closed her post by saying the pair shared countless journeys and miles together and felt “blessed” to be by Fritz's side “as he made one last trip home.” She added that she loved and missed her friend, but knew he was in a better place.
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Fritz and Wolfe apparently suffered some estrangement in their friendship amid Fritz's health problems, but they appeared to have reconciled last year. Before Fritz's death, Wolfe was said to have hoped that they might film together again.