Fans of the long-running History Channel show American Pickers were left devastated after the death of star Frank Fritz, on Sept. 30, 2024, due to complications after a stroke while in hospice care.
The American Pickers star was a firm feature on the show, being its co-host from its inception up until Fritz left the show in 2020. In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Fritz stated he was fired from the show, and suggested that a breakdown in the relationship between him and co-star Mike Wolfe played a role in his departure. Fritz suggested he would be open to returning to the show after recovery from his surgery, but this didn’t pan out.
Fritz later suffered a stroke which would lead to his death while in hospice care. At the time of the stroke, Fritz’s long-time friend and former co-star Wolfe refused to address rumors and speculation about the pair’s relationship and its supposed breakdown but instead expressed his support for Fritz at an especially difficult time in a post to his official Instagram account.
When he died, Wolfe posted an emotional announcement to Instagram, stating Frtiz was a “dreamer who was just as sensitive as he was funny,” in a touching tribute to his friend and professional partner of so many years.
But Wolfe didn’t address the rumors or speculation about his and Fritz’s relationship and its supposed breakdown at the time. This was a consistent boundary of Wolfe’s, who repeatedly stated it was “not the time” to discuss the issues. But now, in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Wolfe has shared his heartbreaking experiences with Fritz at the very end.
In the interview, Wolfe recalls their meeting in middle school and how Frtiz could “always make people feel comfortable.” Wolfe remembers how Fritz had always been funny but also sensitive and caring. Like many long-term relationships, Fritz and Wolfe’s friendship had its ups and downs, but to Wolfe, Fritz was the only person who “didn’t make fun of” him for pitching American Pickers.
And he was right not to, as American Pickers would go on to be a major success that’s still running to this day, more than a decade later after its debut. But success didn’t come without issues. Wolfe said both had “relationships that were falling apart” during 2020, with Wolfe undergoing a divorce from his wife as reported by TMZ.
Although Wolfe is keen to stress that the story isn’t entirely his to tell, he did share how Fritz became addicted to opioids after his surgery in an all too common struggle faced by many people, both within and outside the entertainment industry. Addressing for the first time the root cause of Fritz’s absence from American Pickers, Wolfe states that it was ultimately due to his late friend’s inability to provide clean drug tests.
Directly addressing the speculation about their rift, Wolfe is adamant that he “never stepped away from [Fritz] completely.” Wolfe states that he attempted to help Fritz with his addiction and with rehab, although he was ultimately unsuccessful.
“We can tell him how much we love him, and that we support him and we’re encouraging him, [but] he could just never get it back together.”
But Wolfe never gave up. The pair even reconnected prior to Fritz’s 2022 stroke and the reunion “was beautiful.”
Tragically, Fritz never recovered from the stroke and he was eventually moved into hospice care, where he died. Wolfe was able to visit Fritz regularly and was there with Fritz when the American Pickers star died. Wolfe said, “I took my fingers and I closed his eyes.”
In a touching display of friendship, Wolfe made sure Fritz knew that how much his friend cared for him and nothing would ever drive them apart.
“I just told him that I wasn’t mad at him and that I loved him and that I cared about him so much.”
Wolfe wants Fritz to be remembered for who he was before the last few years dismantled his life completely – “He was a beautiful, beautiful person.”