‘American Pickers’: What Happened to Frank Fritz? His Death & More

American Pickers has continued on without Frank Fritz following his September 2024 death. The show is currently in its 27th season, although Fritz has not been on the show since Season 21 in 2020.

Over the years, Fritz had a complicated relationship with costar Mike Wolfe. He also dealt with various health issues, which ultimately led to his death at the age of 60. Scroll down for a refresh about what happened to the reality star.

How did Frank Fritz die?

Fritz’s official cause of death was “late sequela of cerebral infarction,” better known as a stroke, according to his death certificate, which was obtained by TMZ. The stroke was caused by cerebral vascular disease.

The coroner also noted that Fritz suffered from aortic stenosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which both played a role in his death. Aortic stenosis is a “type of heart valve disease,” according to Mayo Clinic, and COPD is an “ongoing lung condition caused by damage to the lungs,” per the medical website.

Fritz had been dealing with health issues for years before his death. In 2022, he suffered a stroke and was hospitalized. He was in hospice care at the time of his death.

He was also open about his Crohn’s disease, which he dealt with for more than 30 years. “There’s no cure, it’s like a dragon,” he said in a 2021 interview with The U.S. Sun. “Every day is a crap shoot. One day I could have a double chimichanga with hot sauce pouring out of it and have no problem. Another day I could have a piece of toast with some scrambled eggs and have a flare-up.”

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Why did Frank Fritz leave American Pickers?

Fritz left American Pickers in 2020 to have back surgery, he confirmed in his U.S. Sun interview. After years of debilitating back pain, he went to the doctor and found out the his spine was about to “split in half,” he revealed.

“They put a couple of big rods up the middle of my spine,” Fritz added. “I had to get 185 stitches and two rods in my back. I had the back injury but I can lift, I’m OK.”

At this time, Fritz said he was ready to come back to American Pickers, but wasn’t getting a straight answer from the network about his return. “The showrunner called me on my birthday on October 11 of last year and he said ‘I’ll call you back tomorrow,’ but I haven’t heard from those people at all. They don’t contact me,” he claimed.

What happened between Frank Fritz and Mike Wolfe?

After costarring on American Pickers for nearly 10 years, Fritz and Wolfe had a falling out before Fritz’s exit from the series. In his 2021 interview, he confirmed, “I haven’t talked to Mike in two years. He knew my back was messed up, but he didn’t call me up and ask how I was doing. That’s just how it is.”

Wolfe was the one to publicly confirm that Fritz would not be returning to American Pickers. “I have known Frank for as long as I can remember, he’s been like a brother to me,” he wrote on Instagram in July 2021. “The journey that Frank, Dani and I started back in 2009, like all of life, has come with its highs and lows, blessings and challenges, but it has also been the most rewarding.” The post concluded, “will miss Frank, just like all of you, and I pray for the very best and all good things for him on the next part of his journey.”

Fritz called the statement “bulls**t,” according to Newsweek, adding, “Somebody wrote it out for him. I don’t believe in 10 years he’s said five nice things to me, you know? Unless he was cutting somebody else down and we were both laughing.”

Jason Kempin/Getty Images

Later that summer, Wolfe spoke to The U.S. Sun and blamed Fritz’s alleged struggle with addiction as the reason for their falling out and why Fritz was no longer on the History Channel show. “I would love to talk with him again, we would absolutely love to, but he just can’t get it right,” he said. “Frank is just going through a lot personally with his addictions. It’s unfortunate that he’s made decisions that have made him the way he is.”

Meanwhile, Fritz said around that same time that he was 11 months sober.

A year later, after Fritz’s July 2022 stroke, Wolfe wished his former friend well on Instagram. “There has been lots of opinions in regards to mine and Frank’s friendship and the show but now is not the time to set the record straight,” he shared. “Now is the time to pray for my friend. … Frank I pray more than anything that you make it through this okay. I love you buddy.”

This was seemingly the catalyst for the two repairing their relationship. In May 2023, it was reported that the pair reunited. A friend told The Quad-City Times that Fritz had been wanting to see Wolfe and requested the meeting. Fritz was still getting care after the stroke at the time, and the friend said both men were “in tears” during their reunion.

Wolfe was the one to publicly share the news of Fritz’s death, writing on Instagram, “I’ve know Frank for more then half my life 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.”

He concluded, “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. 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 in a better place.”

American Pickers, Season 27, Wednesdays, 9/8c, History Channel