American Pickers star Frank Fritz has died at age 60, his longtime co-host Mike Wolfe revealed on Tuesday. Fritz and Wolfe starred alongside each other on the popular History Channel series for more than a decade, which chronicled the pair traveled across America in search of rare artifacts and treasures.
According to TMZ, Fritz had been hospitalized for a stroke two years ago, which "occurred amid a myriad of other health issues." However, a cause of death is presently unclear. The series premiered in January 2010; Fritz left the series following the 21st season in 2020. At the time, he had reportedly stepped away due to his struggles with Crohn's disease, as well as back surgery.
Wolfe paid tribute to his friend's passing in a heartfelt Instagram post.
"It’s with a broken heart that I share with all of you that Frank passed away last night," he shared. "I’ve know Frank for more than 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," Wolfe continued. "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."
He concluded his post by noting that the pair had shared countless trips and miles together, and that he was he felt "blessed" to have been by Fritz's side "when he took one last journey home." He added that he loved and missed his friend, but knew that he was in a better place.
Fritz and Wolfe had apparently suffered some estrangement in their friendship amid Fritz's health problems, but had seemed to have reconciled last year. Before Fritz's passing, Wolfe had even reportedly hoped that they might even eventually film together again.
