“American Pickers” star Frank Fritz, who traveled across America looking for treasurers in the most random corners, died Monday after a long illness, loved ones said.
He was 60.
“This is a very tough announcement to make Frank passed away last night around 7:30,” according to a post on the Facebook page of Fritz’s friends.
“Pickers” co-star Mike Wolfe said he knew Fritz for more than “half my life” and told fans that his late friend was a genuinely kind man.
Fritz was “a dreamer who was just as sensitive as he was funny,” Wolfe wrote on Instagram. “The same off camera as he was on, Frank had a way of reaching the hearts of so many by just being himself.”
Fritz appeared in 308 episodes of the popular reality show on the History Channel between 2010 and 2021.
“Pickers” was often compared to the popular PBS show “Antiques Roadshow,” which features average Americans bringing their belongings — often long forgotten in their basements, attics and closets — to trained evaluators who often shock them with high value estimates.
“Pickers” had a slightly different vibe, with childhood friends Fritz and Wolfe hitting the road and looking for those hidden treasures.
Fritz had been largely out of the public eye since suffering a debilitating stroke in 2022.
The History Channel and “Pickers” producer Cineflix Production said in a joint statement to NBC News on Tuesday that Fritz will be “deeply missed.”
“Frank filmed ‘American Pickers’ for over a decade,” the statement said. “We will always remember ‘the bearded charmer’ and his never-ending search for vintage motorcycles and bikes. Our thoughts are with Frank’s loved ones during this difficult time.”
