Frank Fritz was famous for his role alongside Mike Wolfe and Danielle Colby in the reality television series American Pickers. Since 2010, the late 60-year-old had traveled the country in search of gold and other artifacts. However, Frank died on September 30, 2024, reportedly from health complications.
Mike paid tribute to his longtime friend and late co-star in a heartfelt Instagram post.
“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,” Mike wrote. “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?”
Mike also reminisced how before they started American Pickers, he and Frank “would take off together to places [they] 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,” Mike concluded, before adding, “I love you, buddy and will miss you so much. I know [you’re] in a better place.”
According to multiple outlets, Fritz died from complications of a stroke while in hospice. It’s still unclear why Frank was in hospice care up until his death.
This wasn’t the first time that Frank suffered a stroke. In a 2022 Instagram post, Mike revealed that his co-star had a stroke and was hospitalized.
