Mike Wolfe Claims He Held His Late ‘American Pickers’ Co-Star’s Hand As He Died

A month has passed since American Pickers star Frank Fritz died from a condition called late sequela of cerebral infarction, and his costar, Mike Wolfe, has opened up about his final moments. He revealed to PEOPLE that he got a distress call about Fritz’s condition and did not hesitate to check in shortly after.

Joining Wolfe at Fritz’s bedside was his mother, and the best friend of Fritz’s late mum, Annette. Having disagreed in the past, the touching moment was another opportunity for reconciliation as they had their last conversation.

Mike Wolfe was at Frank Fritz’s bedside just before death

Wolfe arrived at Fritz’s bedside just in time and assured his dying cast mate that he cared about him and was no longer offended by the past. The 60-year-old recalled telling Fritz to go meet his mother, Susan Zirbes, who died more than a decade ago.

Within an hour, Wolfe was holding Fritz’s hand and rubbing his chest as he drew his final breath. The next day, Wolfe took to Instagram to break the tragic news to the public, noting that he had been friends with Fritz for more than half of his life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Mike Wolfe (@mikewolfeamericanpicker)

What happened between Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz

Wolfe and Fritz had been friends since middle school in Iowa, and they started American Pickers together in 2010. It was a History Channel hit upon debut, and the duo soon became famous for touring the country to hunt for treasure in trash.

Like many relationships, they hit a rough patch in 2020 after Fritz left the show to attend to severe back pain. Fritz was offended that Wolfe never showed concern, and the latter addressed the claims, saying everything changed when Fritz got addicted to opioids and refused his help. Wolfe kept at the show without Fritz, with season 26 set to premiere in a few days.