Beloved ‘American Pickers’ Star Frank Fritz Dies at 60 After Stroke Battle

Passing of a ‘Pickers’ Icon

Frank Fritz, best known as the co-host of the hit His­to­ry Chan­nel series “Amer­i­can Pick­ers,” has died at the age of 60. 

The real­i­ty TV star had been strug­gling with health issues, includ­ing a stroke he suf­fered in 2022, which ulti­mate­ly led to his passing.

Tributes from Co-Stars

Fritz’s for­mer co-star and friend, Mike Wolfe, was among those who mourned the loss, call­ing Fritz his “broth­er” and express­ing how much he would miss their adven­tures togeth­er trav­el­ing the coun­try to find unique collectibles. 

Danielle Col­by-Cush­man, anoth­er “Amer­i­can Pick­ers” co-work­er, also paid trib­ute to Fritz’s infec­tious humor and pas­sion for the show.

Leaving the Series and Health Struggles

Fritz had left “Amer­i­can Pick­ers” in 2021 due to a vari­ety of health prob­lems, includ­ing a back surgery and his bat­tle with Crohn’s dis­ease. This led to a strained rela­tion­ship with Wolfe, though the two had rec­on­ciled short­ly before Fritz’s passing.

Legacy and Impact on the Series

As a found­ing mem­ber of the “Amer­i­can Pick­ers” team, Frank Fritz was instru­men­tal in the show’s suc­cess over the course of its decade-long run.

His unique per­son­al­i­ty, exper­tise in antiques, and cama­raderie with his co-hosts made him a beloved fig­ure among fans of the program.

The loss of Frank Fritz is deeply felt with­in the “Amer­i­can Pick­ers” com­mu­ni­ty and the broad­er world of antique collecting. 

His pas­sion, humor, and ded­i­ca­tion to his craft will be sore­ly missed, but his lega­cy as one of the show’s orig­i­nal stars will live on.