Star antique hunter from “American Pickers” dies at 60

Frank Fritz, star of the long-running series “American Pickers,” has died.

For a decade, Fritz and his friend and co-star Mike Wolfe shared their antiques and collectors hunting trips with viewers of the History Channel reality show.

Wolfe, 60, posted about Fritz’s death in an Instagram post on Tuesday (see below).

“It is with a broken heart that I share with all of you that Frank died last night,” he said of Fritz, who was also 60. “I’ve known Frank for more than half my life and so on.” What you saw on TV was always what I saw: a dreamer who was as sensitive as he was funny. Just as he was off camera, Frank had the opportunity to reach the hearts of so many just by being himself.”

“American Pickers” premiered on the History Channel in 2010 under the direction of Fritz, owner of Frank Fritz Finds in Savanna, Illinois, and Wolfe, owner of Antique Archeology in Iowa and Tennessee.

The two pickers had known each other since their school days.

On the show, they told the stories behind various relics and gemstones from people’s sheds and attics, often working to restore them after selecting them from people’s collections across the country.

“Who would have ever thought we would be sharing the cockpit of a white van in front of millions of people interested in our adventures,” Wolfe continued in his Instagram post. “Before the show, we set off together to places we never knew existed, with no destination in mind, but only with a shared passion to discover something interesting and historical. We have taken countless trips and covered so many miles together, and I feel blessed to have been by his side as he made one final journey home. I love you buddy and will miss you so much I know you’re in a better place.”

Fritz left the show after 2020.

Wolfe’s brother Robbie Wolfe later joined him on the series, which premieres its 26th season on October 9.

In 2022, Fritz was hospitalized after suffering a stroke at his home in Davenport, Iowa.

The Des Moines Register reports that the stroke followed an accident in which Fritz was hit by a deer while riding his motorcycle. Complications from the stroke worsened his Crohn’s disease.

According to the report, Fritz was placed under temporary guardianship after the stroke, followed by a conservatorship.

While Fritz and Wolfe’s relationship has been strained since his departure from the series, they got back together before his death.