American Picker and Motorcycle Aficionado Frank Fritz Has Died

Fans of History Channel’s long-running and very popular show American Pickers are left searching the shelves of their hearts after the passing of Frank Fritz, half of the show’s hosting pair. Fritz brought a wide-reaching interest in vintage items to the show, especially anything with an engine, and he had a particular soft spot for motorcycles.

According to CBS News, Fritz died Monday night at a hospice facility in Davenport, Iowa. One of Fritz’s close friends also told CBS he was 60 years old, not 58, as some websites and news sources have stated.

We are saddened to share that our friend and beloved member of The HISTORY Channel and American Pickers family, Frank Fritz, has passed away on September 30, 2024. pic.twitter.com/2kKSdgVqdS

— American Pickers (@americanpickers) October 1, 2024

Fritz achieved public notoriety as the counterpoint to the Mike Wolfe as the pair drove hundreds of thousands of miles across the country talking to the people who had accumulated massive stashes of anything interesting. While Fritz had an appetite to buy just about anything with a good story, it was the motorcycles and cars that really got him excited. So much so that he wrote a book on the topic.

According to close friends, Fritz suffered a stroke in 2022 and struggled to recover. He was surrounded by friends, including Wolfe, when he passed on September 30. May he enjoy eternally finding new stashes of old things, just as he did while he was here.