Getty
Frank Fritz Dead at 60: ‘American Pickers’ Star Dies After Health Issues, Mike Wolfe Confirms
American Pickers star Frank Fritz has died, his family and costar Mike Wolfe confirmed in statements shared on social media. He was 60.
“It’s with a broken heart that I share with all of you that Frank passed away last night,” Mike wrote in an an Instagram post on Tuesday, October 1. “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. The same off camera as he was on, Frank had a way of reaching the hearts of so many by just being himself.”
“Who would have ever dreamed we would share the cockpit of a white cargo van in front of millions of people interested in our adventures,” he wrote. “Before the show we 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.”
“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 I know your in a better place,” Mike said.
His cause of death was not immediately revealed. Fritz suffered a stroke at his Iowa home in July 2022.
He ended up taking a step back from the show initially in 2020 before revealing that he had back surgery.
“I had a couple of rods put in there. It was from lifting stuff all the time,” Fritz told The Sun in July 2021. “If you watch the show, you can see who the guy is that’s lifting all the time, it’s always me. It had been hurting for a long, long time. I’m talking months and months and months.”
“Finally I had it looked at and they said it was about ready to split in half, the bones going up in the middle of my spine,” he said. “They put a couple of big rods up the middle of my spine. I had to get 185 stitches and two rods in my back. I had the back injury but I can lift, I’m OK.”
The Frank Fritz Friends group on Facebook also confirmed the death of the television star.
“This is a very tough announcement to make Frank passed away last night around 7:30 he was surrounded by myself Mike Wolfe made a high speed to get back here from Nashville and other friends,” a statement from admin Annette Oberlander Willows said. “Please understand this is a very rough time for us. Including Mike so be kind as we are trying to figure out how to cope with this. Thank you all for your love and support through the years.”
American Pickers star Danielle Colby also shared a tribute to her late costar on Instagram.
“Frank, I will miss your ability to make everyone laugh, your love for talking tattoos, your epic collections but what I will miss the most are those little glimpses of vulnerability from time to time,” she wrote. “Frank, you loved your cat and your momma and we bonded on those things. You will be missed for all of these reasons and so many more. Rest in Peace Road Dog.”
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Closer Weekly does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.
