Late American Pickers star would’ve liked a chance to return to the History Channel reality series before his death, his friend says.
“I think Frank would’ve went back [to the show], but he had his health issues. And he did have some serious health issues. From 25 or 30 on, he suffered from Crohn’s,” Gendreau told The U.S. Sun on Wednesday, October 9.
Fritz died at age 60 on September 30 from the effects of a stroke. A rep for the reality TV star subsequently told TMZ that Fritz’s Crohn’s disease — a chronic, inflammatory illness that affects the gastrointestinal tract — may have contributed to his death.
Fritz’s death came three years after his American Pickers costar confirmed in July 2021 that Fritz would not be returning to the show. That same month, Fritz told The U.S. Sun that he hadn’t spoken to Wolfe in “two years,” claiming that he hadn’t checked on him after he had back surgery.
“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,” Fritz said at the time. “The show is tilted towards him 1,000 percent. … It’s like you’ve got Aerosmith, and there’s and he’s the frontman.”
Despite Fritz’s perception of himself as “second” to Wolfe, Gendreau said that his late friend was vital to the show’s success.
“Mike came up with the idea of the show, [and] Mike was smart enough to know the show would be perfect with Frank,” he said. “Mike and Frank were like [comedy duo] and . Jerry Lewis — Frank — was just as important or maybe even more important for the show, [but] it’s very hard to be the Jerry Lewis all the time.”
Gendreau also shed light on how Fritz was doing in the months leading up to his death.
“He felt really, really bad,” Gendreau said. “You would go to see him in the nursing home and one half of his body was completely done. He would lift his arm up and it would just drop.”
Gendreau added that Fritz, who suffered a stroke in July 2022 that left the right side of his body paralyzed, was “frustrated” with being “totally bedridden.”
“I’ve seen this when people get tired. I think if you don’t have the will to live, you won’t,” he said. “I think Frank could’ve lived a lot longer if the will to live would’ve been there.”
The History Channel honored Fritz with an American Pickers marathon of his “best” episodes on Wednesday. Wolfe also dedicated season 26 of the series, which premiered that same day, to Fritz.
“It has taken me a long time to figure out what I was going to say or if I even wanted to post that we have new episodes starting tomorrow night,” Wolfe wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, October 8. “The timing of this and Frank’s passing is not great, however we have been making shows without Frank for four years now and we have always wanted him to be back with this crew, but he couldn’t due to health issues.”
Wolfe added that he and the American Pickers family visited Fritz whenever they found themselves in Iowa and “let him know how much he was missed” and couldn’t be replaced. He concluded the post by saying, “As always, since Frank has left, I dedicate this show and all the others this season in his honor.”
Wolfe’s American Pickers costar commented, “I love you brother ❤️🩹.”
American Pickers airs on the History Channel Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
