American Pickers star Frank Fritz is revealed to have died from the effects of the debilitating stroke he suffered in July 2022.
Before her passing, the reality star was previously diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, which TMZ reported that it “may (also) have played a role” in his death at age 60 on Monday.
Crohn’s disease is a long-term inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes inflammation in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
According Mayo ClinicCrohn’s disease “can cause abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, and malnutrition,” as well as other complications such as kidney stones.
Fritz’s representative confirmed the cause of his death to the outlet.
American Pickers star Frank Fritz is revealed to have died from the effects of the debilitating stroke he suffered in July 2022, which reportedly left him wheelchair-bound (seen in 2015).
This comes after one of Fritz’s longtime friends, Annette Oberlander, revealed to The Associated Press that Fritz died at a hospice facility in Davenport, Iowa.
On Tuesday, Oberlander told the AP that “Fritz never fully recovered” from his stroke and “had been receiving hospital care since” it occurred.
Fritz’s American Pickers co-stars Mike Wolfe and Danielle Colby were among the first stars to pay tribute to Fritz on social media following his passing.
Wolfe, who appeared alongside Fritz in hundreds of episodes of his History Channel series, reacted to the devastating news in a post shared with his more than 522,000 followers.
“It is with a broken heart that I share with all of you that Frank passed away last night,” she wrote on Instagram, along with a sweet photo of them together.
Wolfe, 60, continued: ‘I’ve known Frank for more than half my life and what you’ve seen on TV has always been what I’ve seen, a dreamer who was as sensitive as he was funny. Both on and off camera, Frank had a way of reaching the hearts of many people simply by being himself.’
The actor continued to reflect on his years filming American Pickers, which followed him traveling across the United States in search of rare American artifacts and treasures.
“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?” he asked.
On Tuesday, Fritz’s co-star Mike Wolfe reacted to the devastating news of her death in a heartfelt post shared with his more than 522,000 Instagram followers.
Before the first season of their show aired in 2010, Wolfe said they would “go places together” they “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,” he concluded.
Her comments section was flooded with fans expressing their condolences.
“I’m sorry for your loss Mike, it’s a loss for everyone, we share the sadness and memories,” one wrote.
Others thanked Wolfe for staying by their side until the end.
Danielle Colby also shared a sweet slideshow of photos of her posing with Fritz while reflecting on his “ability to make everyone laugh.”
Colby also shared a sweet slideshow of photos of her posing with Fritz.
“Frank, I’ll miss your ability to make everyone laugh, your love of talking tattoos, your epic collections, but what I’ll miss most are those little flashes of vulnerability every now and then,” he began.
The reality star added: ‘Frank, you loved your cat and your mom and we bonded over those things. We will miss you for all these reasons and many more.”
She signed the post by writing, “Rest in peace, Road Dog.”
Robbie Wolfe, who replaced Fritz on American Pickers, also honored the late star’s memory with a tribute on social media.
He wrote: “It is with great sadness that I am sad to report that my friend Frank Fritz passed away last night.
‘You all know him from television. But I knew him from traveling, fishing and family. He was the godfather of my twin daughters. His smile was contagious and we will miss his laugh.
‘Especially the time sitting on a fishing boat talking about life. I know you’re in a better place… Love you mate, hope you catch the big one until we meet in heaven, hold the ship steady.’
“We will miss you for all these reasons and many more,” she captioned the post.
Fritz’s family and friends confirmed his death on Tuesday.
“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.
Rumors about Fritz’s death circulated on social media earlier this year, and Wolfe denied the claims.
Robbie Wolfe, who replaced Fritz on American Pickers, also honored the late star’s memory with a tribute on social media.
A friend of Fritz told him The US Sun who had left him in a wheelchair after the 2022 stroke.
A guardianship petition was filed for Fritz weeks after the stroke, with court documents stating that ‘Mr. Fritz’s decision-making capacity is so impaired that he is unable to provide for his own safety or provide for necessities such as food, shelter , clothing or medical care without which physical injury or illness may occur.’
MidWestOne Bank was named Fritz’s conservator and his friend Chris Davis as conservator.
American Pickers debuted on the History Channel in 2010, following Fritz, Wolfe and Colby-Cushman, who owned an antique store in Iowa.
Fritz and Wolfe traveled the country searching for all kinds of collectibles from collectors of all kinds.
Fritz’s family and friends confirmed his death on Tuesday via Facebook.
In June 2021 it was revealed that Fritz would be leaving the show, a culmination of many health issues, including back surgery and Crohn’s disease.
At the time, Wolfe issued a statement saying that Fritz “is like a brother to me,” adding that he would “pray for the best and all that is good for him in the next part of his journey.”
Fritz, however, painted a very different picture in an interview with The Sun.
“Mike’s statement was nonsense, someone wrote it to him. We were never friends in elementary school. I don’t think he’s said five nice things to me in ten years, you know? Unless he was attacking someone else and we both laughed,” Fritz said.
American Pickers debuted on the History Channel in 2010, following Fritz, Wolfe and Colby-Cushman, who ran an antique store in Iowa; seen in 2015
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.
