Frank Fritz, the star of “American Pickers”, who searched for treasures all over America in the most unlikely places, died on Monday following a long illness.
He was 60 years old.
According to a Facebook post by Fritz’s close friends, “This is an extremely difficult announcement to make. Frank died last night at around 7:30.”
Mike Wolfe, the co-star of “Pickers”, said that he had known Fritz for “more than half my life.” He told fans his friend Fritz was a kind and generous man.
Wolfe said on Instagram that Fritz was a “dreamer who was as sensitive as he is funny.” Frank was just as charismatic off-camera as he is on. He could reach so many people by being himself.
Between 2010 and 2021, Fritz appeared in 308 episodes on the History Channel’s popular reality series.
“Pickers’ was often compared with the popular PBS program “Antiques Roadshow,” in which average Americans bring their items — many of them long forgotten and hidden away in their attics, basements, and closets — before trained appraisers who are often shocked by their high estimates.
The “Pickers”, with childhood friends Fritz Wolfe and Wolfe on the road looking for hidden treasures, had a different feel.
Since 2022, when he suffered a crippling stroke, Fritz has been mostly out of the spotlight.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the History Channel and “Pickers'” producer Cineflix said that Fritz would be “deeply missed”.
The statement stated that “Frank has been filming ‘American Pickers for more than a decade.” “We will never forget ‘the bearded charmer’, and his never-ending quest for vintage bikes and motorcycles. “Our thoughts are with Frank and his loved ones at this difficult time.”
