‘American Pickers’ Star Frank Fritz’s Cause of Death Revealed

Darian Lusk October 11, 2024, 2:53 pm

Frank Fritz from 'American Pickers' — Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

American Pickers star Frank Fritz’s cause of death has been revealed to be a fatal stroke.

The reality TV world felt a tremendous loss on September 30, 2024, when the History Channel veteran died at the age of 60. Now, his death certificate has been obtained by TMZ. Fritz died from “late sequela of cerebral infarction,” an ischemic stroke that cuts off blood flow to the brain. Fans may recall that two years ago, the TV star had also suffered from a stroke.

According to the outlet, the stroke was caused by cerebral vascular disease. It was also reported that Fritz suffered from aortic stenosis, which is a chronic condition that hinders blood flow throughout the body. Both aortic stenosis and cerebral vascular disease contributed to his death, the outlet shared.

Fritz’s former co-host and longtime friend Mike Wolfe confirmed his death on Instagram on Oct. 1, sharing that Fritz died the night before: “It’s with a broken heart that I share with all of you that Frank passed away last night.”

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A post shared by Mike Wolfe (@mikewolfeamericanpicker)

“I’ve know Frank for [sic] more then half my life [sic] and what you’ve seen on TV has always been what I have seen, a dreamer who was just as sensitive as he was funny. The same off camera as he was on, Frank had a way of reaching the hearts of so many by just being himself,” Wolfe continued. “Who would have ever dreamed we would share the cockpit of a white cargo van in front of millions of people interested in our adventures.”

“Before the show we would take off together to places we never knew existed with no destination in mind and just the shared passion to discover something interesting and historic,” Wolfe added. “We’ve been on countless trips and shared so many miles and I feel blessed that I was there by his side when he took one last journey home. I love you buddy and will miss you so much I know your [sic] in a better place.”

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Fritz starred in American Pickers for over 10 years, featuring in more than 300 episodes of the show between its debut in 2010 and 2021 when he exited the series. In the show, Fritz and Wolfe traveled across the country in search of valuable antiques, finding gems in the most unlikely of places, shining a light on the lesser-known corners of America. Others including Wolfe’s brother Robbie and Danielle Colby have become familiar faces on Pickers in recent years.

Fritz’s intital stroke was debilitating, leaving him wheelchair-bound with the right side of his body paralyzed.

History Channel dedicated a marathon of “best of” episodes to Fritz leading up to the premiere of Season 26 on October 9. They included “In Memoriam” title cards for him at the top of the select shows.