“American Pickers” star Frank Fritz, who traveled throughout America in search of treasurers in essentially the most random corners, died Monday after a protracted sickness, family members stated.
He was 60.
“It is a very powerful announcement to make Frank handed away final evening round 7:30,” in line with a publish on the Fb web page of Fritz’s pals.
“Pickers” co-star Mike Wolfe stated he knew Fritz for greater than “half my life” and instructed followers that his late good friend was a genuinely variety man.
Fritz was “a dreamer who was simply as delicate as he was humorous,” Wolfe wrote on Instagram. “The identical off digicam as he was on, Frank had a means of reaching the hearts of so many by simply being himself.”
Fritz appeared in 308 episodes of the favored actuality present on the Historical past Channel between 2010 and 2021.
“Pickers” was usually in comparison with the favored PBS present “Antiques Roadshow,” which options common People bringing their belongings — usually lengthy forgotten of their basements, attics and closets — to skilled evaluators who usually shock them with excessive worth estimates.
“Pickers” had a barely completely different vibe, with childhood pals Fritz and Wolfe hitting the highway and in search of these hidden treasures.
Fritz had been largely out of the general public eye since struggling a debilitating stroke in 2022.
The Historical past Channel and “Pickers” producer Cineflix Manufacturing stated in a joint assertion to NBC Information on Tuesday that Fritz shall be “deeply missed.”
“Frank filmed ‘American Pickers’ for over a decade,” the assertion stated. “We are going to all the time keep in mind ‘the bearded charmer’ and his endless seek for classic bikes and bikes. Our ideas are with Frank’s family members throughout this troublesome time.”