‘American Pickers’ Star and Host Frank Fritz Dies at 60 – NBC Chicago

“American Pickers” star and host Frank Fritz has died at the age of 60, according to loved ones and his co-star on the hit TV show.

Fritz, an Iowa native, died Monday evening surrounded by friends and family, according to a message on a page that Fritz’s friends could read.

“This is a very difficult announcement to make,” the post began, adding that this is “a very difficult time for us.”

The post noted that Fritz’s co-star on the show, Mike Wolfe, traveled from Nashville to be by his side.

“It is with a broken heart that I share with you all that Frank passed away last night,” Wolfe wrote on Instagram. “I’ve known Frank for more than half my life and what you saw on TV is always what I saw: a dreamer who was as sensitive as he was funny. The same off camera as on TV, Frank had a way of to reach the hearts of so many by just being ourselves. Who would have ever dreamed that we would share the cockpit of a white van for millions of people interested in our adventures.

Wolf reminisced about the couple’s adventures, traveling even before their show began “with no destination in mind and only the shared passion of discovering something interesting and historical.”

“We have taken countless trips and shared so many miles and I feel blessed to have been by his side as he made one final journey home,” Wolfe wrote. “I love you buddy and will miss you so much. I know you in a better place.”

Fritz appeared in more than 300 episodes of “American Pickers” between 2010 and 2021.

He suffered a debilitating stroke in 2022 and largely left public life while he worked on recovery. In July, two years after he first suffered the stroke, an update from an old friend noted that “although he has had to work very hard for a new kind of life, there have been many setbacks.”

The History Channel said in a statement to NBC News on Tuesday that Fritz will be “deeply missed.”

“Frank filmed ‘American Pickers’ for over a decade,” the statement said. “We will always remember ‘the bearded charmer’ and his endless search for vintage motorcycles and bicycles. Our thoughts are with Frank’s loved ones at this difficult time.”