Frank Fritz, one of many co-hosts of American Pickers, has died at age 60, two years after he suffered a severe stroke. He was 60 years outdated.
Fritz appeared in 308 episodes of the favored Historical past Channel present alongside his co-star Mike Wolfe, earlier than leaving American Pickers in 2021. The pair travelled round America in search of uncommon artifacts and treasures to promote or add to their private collections.
“It is a very robust announcement to make,” reads a put up on the Fb web page, Frank Fritz Buddies. “Frank handed away final evening round 7:30.”
One other put up on the web page added that Fritz “handed away peacefully surrounded by his closest pals.”
“He fought a valiant battle the final two years with many ups and downs however finally the mix of the extreme stroke and his Crohn’s illness was simply an excessive amount of for his physique to bear.”
Pickers co-host Wolfe paid tribute to Fritz in an Instagram put up, writing that his coronary heart is “damaged.”
“I’ve recognized Frank for extra then half my life and what you’ve seen on TV has at all times been what I’ve seen, a dreamer who was simply as delicate as he was humorous,” Wolfe wrote. “The identical off digicam as he was on, Frank had a manner of reaching the hearts of so many by simply being himself.”
The pair have been pals earlier than beginning American Pickers collectively. Wolfe shared that they might “take off collectively to locations we by no means knew existed with no vacation spot in thoughts and simply the shared ardour to find one thing attention-grabbing and historic.”
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“We’ve been on numerous journeys and shared so many miles and I really feel blessed that I used to be there by his aspect when he took one final journey residence. I like you buddy and can miss you a lot,” Wolfe added.
Fritz had largely been out of the general public eye after struggling a extreme stroke in 2022. A yr earlier than that, in 2021, Fritz instructed The Solar he hadn’t talked to Wolfe in two years amid a feud between the 2. The final time he appeared on a present was in March 2020, The Solar reported on the time.
When Fritz had his stroke, the pair appeared to place their variations behind them.
Wolfe posted that Fritz was hospitalized following the stroke and he requested followers to maintain the co-host of their “hearts and ideas.”
“I’ve been very personal prior to now yr with regard to Frank’s life and the journey he’s been on. There was a lot of opinions with regard to mine and Frank’s friendship and the present however now isn’t the time to set the document straight. Now’s the time to hope for my buddy,” Wolfe wrote on Instagram on the time.
“Frank I pray greater than something that you simply make it by way of this okay. I like you buddy.”
The Historical past Channel and Pickers producer Cineflix Manufacturing launched a joint assertion within the wake of Fritz’s dying.
“Frank filmed American Pickers for over a decade,” the assertion reads. “We are going to at all times bear in mind ‘the bearded charmer’ and his endless seek for classic bikes and bikes. Our ideas are with Frank’s family members throughout this troublesome time.”
Fritz’s supervisor Invoice Stankey instructed Those who he was “an distinctive human being.”
“He liked life, he cared about individuals, he at all times had a form phrase to say and he knew extra about Americana and antiques than anybody I ever met,” Stankey stated, including that Fritz was the “anchor” of American Pickers.
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