Frank Fritz, of ‘American Pickers,’ dies at 60

Frank Fritz, a part of a two-man crew who drove across the U.S. searching for antiques and collectibles to purchase and resell on the truth present “American Pickers,” has died.

He died Monday night time at a hospice facility in Davenport, Iowa, mentioned Annette Oberlander, a longtime pal. She mentioned he was 60, not 58, as some web sites and information sources mentioned.

She mentioned she was at his bedside, as was Mike Wolfe, who starred with Fritz for greater than a decade on the Historical past Channel program.

“The identical off digital camera as he was on, Frank had a means of reaching the hearts of so many by simply being himself,” Wolfe mentioned an Instagram publish mourning the lack of his pal.

In American Pickers, Fritz and Wolfe visited primarily small cities and rural areas looking for gadgets. They usually would crawl by dusty barns and crowded garages, flashlight in hand to dig out gadgets that they might resell at an vintage store in Iowa.

Fritz usually was drawn to vintage toys, and he would banter in a good-natured means with sellers as they sought to reach at a value.

Sometimes they’d encounter extra notable finds, corresponding to a dilapidated van within the woods of a small Massachusetts city that the band Aerosmith toured in earlier than they began filling stadiums with tens of 1000’s of followers.

Oberlander mentioned Fritz had a stroke in 2022 and by no means absolutely recovered. She mentioned a celebration of life, which is able to embrace a motorbike run, will doubtless occur within the spring.

“He was a fierce pal,” Oberlander mentioned. “He leaves behind an unbelievable quantity of friendships as a result of that’s what was most essential to him. A really great amount of friendships. Shut friendships.”