Mike Wolfe was seen for the first time since the death of his American Pickers co-star Frank Fritz when he stepped out in LeClaire, Iowa, on Thursday.
The 60-year-old antiques and collectibles collector looked somber as he moved furniture from his white van.
He wore a navy T-shirt with blue jeans and brown boots for the outing, and protected his eyes with a pair of sunglasses.
The news of Frank’s death at age 60 was announced by his family on Tuesday, two years after he suffered a debilitating stroke in October 2022.
Although Fritz previously said in 2022 that he hadn’t spoken to Wolfe in two years, a new report revealed that he buried the hatchet with his co-star a year before his death.
Mike Wolfe, 60, was seen for the first time since the death of his American Pickers co-star Frank Fritz when he stepped out in LeClaire, Iowa, on Thursday.
Fritz had seen his health gradually deteriorate since leaving the show in 2021.
The reality star suffered a stroke at her Iowa home the following year, but the cause of her death remains unclear.
“This is a very hard announcement because Frank passed away last night around 7:30. He was surrounded by me, Mike Wolfe made a great speed to get back here from Nashville and other friends,” reads a post on the Facebook account of Fritz on Tuesday.
‘Please understand that this is a very difficult time for us. Including Mike, so please be kind while we’re trying to figure out how to deal with this. Thank you all for your love and support over the years.”
Wolfe also confirmed his death on Tuesday, writing on Instagram: “It is with a broken heart that I share with all of you that Frank passed away last night.”
“Who would have imagined that we would share the cabin of a white cargo van in front of millions of people interested in our adventures?”
“Before the show, we traveled together to places we never knew existed, with no destination in mind and only a shared passion to discover something interesting and historic.”
‘We have taken countless trips and shared so many miles and I feel blessed to have been there by his side as he took the final journey home. I love you friend and I will miss you very much. I know you’re in a better place.’
The History Channel premiered American Pickers in January 2010, following Wolfe and Fritz as they traveled the country to “pick” items for their antique store in Iowa.
The antiques and collectibles collector looked grim as he moved furniture from his white van. She wore a navy blue t-shirt with blue jeans and brown boots for the outing.
The news of Frank’s death at age 60 was announced Tuesday by his family, two years after he suffered a debilitating stroke in October 2022; the duo seen in 2015
“This is a very hard announcement because Frank passed away last night around 7:30. He was surrounded by me, Mike Wolfe made a great speed to get back here from Nashville and other friends,” reads a post on the Facebook account of Fritz on Tuesday
Wolfe also confirmed his death on Tuesday, writing on Instagram: “It is with a broken heart that I share with all of you that Frank passed away last night”; They are photographed in 2015.
“I love you friend and I will miss you so much. I know you are in a better place,” he said in the touching statement.
The former castmates were estranged for years, and Fritz claimed Wolfe didn’t check on him after he left the show. However, the two reconciled last year; They are seen in an episode of American Pickers.
Fritz surprised many when he left the show in July 2021, and Fritz suffered a stroke just a year later.
She then told fans about her breakup with Wolfe, adding that she didn’t believe her former co-star “would say five nice things to me in 10 years.”
However, it appears that the former co-stars made peace before Fritz’s passing, according to the Quad-City Times.
An old friend of the co-stars arranged a Memorial Day reunion in 2023, and the friend insisted there was never a ‘feud’ between them.
‘This was not a dispute between Mike and Frank at all. They weren’t fighting. “They needed separation to appreciate each other,” the friend said.
He added that “working 10 hours a day, seven days a week with your best friend” caused their relationship to become strained.
‘Mike has wanted to see Frank for quite some time. Frank had just wanted to see it. “It was Frank’s request to see Mike,” he added.
‘They were both crying. They were both crying. “Mike mentioned how nervous they both were about going to David Letterman, which was one of their first big appearances,” she added.
“He said, ‘No one can replace you, Frank.’ He said it was Frank’s ‘exceptionally fun personality’ that made them fit together so well as a team,” she continued.
‘They talked about old times: how things started and the impact they had on the world. “There were tears streaming down both sides,” he said.
‘Mike really highlighted all the good times they had before and during the show. “Mike said he would like Frank to come back on the show, but Frank is focused on his health,” the friend added.
This comes after Wolfe’s girlfriend, Leticia Cline, shut down rumors that the old friends were fighting.
Fritz appeared on the show alongside Wolfe between 2010 and 2020.
American Pickers debuted on the History Channel in 2010, following Fritz, Wolfe and their co-worker, Danielle Colby-Cushman, who ran an antique store in Iowa.
“Over the last 3 years I have witnessed how Mike has gone above and beyond to make sure Frank has received the best care,” she wrote on her Instagram Story.
“It has been difficult to remain silent as rumors spread falsehoods and foment hate, but instead of wasting energy defending herself, she has spent that time on phone calls and in person with Frank and his caregivers, even being by his side as he took his last breath. last night. .’
Although she noted that she “never met Frank,” Wolfe’s girlfriend insisted that she was able to “get to know him through the countless stories Mike” told her “about their adventures together before and after the show.”
‘I am so proud of the grace and resilience Mike has had over the years and how he has never let that get in the way of the bond of friendship. “Frank will be missed by many,” he concluded.