Mike Wolfe and Danielle Colby shared a heartfelt tribute on Instagram in honor of their late American Pickers costar, Frank Fritz, following his death at the age of 60.
On Tuesday, Wolfe, who appeared with Fritz in hundreds of episodes of their History Channel series, responded to the devastating news in a post shared with his more than 522,000 followers.
“It is with a broken heart that I share with you all that Frank passed away last night,” he wrote on Instagram, alongside a sweet photo of them together.
Wolfe, 60, continued: “I’ve known Frank for more than half my life and what you’ve seen on TV has always been the same as I’ve seen: a dreamer who was as sensitive as he was funny. Both off camera and on camera, Frank managed to reach the hearts of many by simply being himself.’
The actor further reflected on their years filming American Pickers, during which they traveled across the United States in search of rare Americana artifacts and treasures.
Frank Fritz’s American Pickers costars Danielle Colby and Mike Wolfe led the moving celebrity tributes honoring his legacy following his death at age 60
“Who would have ever dreamed that we would share the cockpit of a white van for millions of people interested in our adventures,” he wondered.
Before season one of their show aired in 2010, Wolfe said they would “set off together to places they” never knew existed, with no destination in mind and only the shared passion of discovering something interesting and historic.
“We have made countless trips and shared so many miles and I feel blessed to have been by his side as he made one final journey home. I love you buddy and will miss you so much, I know you are in a better place,” he concluded.
His comments section was flooded with fans offering their condolences.
“Sorry for your loss Mike, it’s a loss for everyone, we share the grief and memories,” one person wrote.
Others thanked Wolfe for sticking by his side until the end.
Colby also shared a sweet slideshow of photos of herself posing with Fritz.
“Frank, I will miss your ability to make everyone laugh, your love for talking tattoos, your epic collections, but what I will miss most are those little glimpses of vulnerability from time to time,” she began.
Colby also shared a sweet slideshow of photos of herself posing with Fritz while reflecting on his “ability to make everyone laugh.”
“What I will miss most are those little glimpses of vulnerability from time to time,” she wrote. “Frank, you loved your cat and your mother and we bonded over those things. You will be missed for all these reasons and many more.”
The reality star added, “Frank, you loved your cat and your mom and we bonded over those things. You will be missed for all these reasons and many more.”
She signed off the post by writing, “Rest in Peace Road Dog.”
Robbie Wolfe, who replaced Fritz at American Pickers, also honored the late star’s memory with a tribute on social media.
He wrote: ‘It is with a heavy heart that I have to say that my friend Frank Fritz passed away last night.
‘You all knew him from television. But I knew him from travel, fishing and family. He was the godfather of my twin girls. His smile was infectious and his laugh will be missed.
‘Mostly just sitting in a fishing boat talking about life. I know you are in a better place… I love you buddy, I hope you catch the big one until we meet in heaven, keep the boat steady.”
She signed off the post by writing: ‘Rest in Peace Road Dog’
Fritz’s family and friends confirmed his death on Tuesday.
‘This is a very difficult announcement to have Frank pass away last night around 7.30am. He was surrounded by me, Mike Wolfe was speeding to get back here from Nashville and other friends,” read a post on Fritz’s Facebook account on Tuesday.
“Please understand that this is a very difficult time for us. Including Mike, so be nice as we try to figure out how to deal with this. Thank you all for your love and support over the years.
At this time, his cause of death remains unclear.
In 2022, a year after leaving American Pickers, Fritz suffered a debilitating stroke.
Robbie Wolfe, who replaced Fritz at American Pickers, also honored the late star’s memory with a tribute on social media
Rumors of Fritz’s death circulated on social media earlier this year, with Wolfe denying the claims.
A friend of Fritz told me The American sun that he was confined to a wheelchair after the 2022 stroke.
Weeks after the stroke, a conservatorship petition was filed for Fritz, with court documents alleging that “Mr. Fritz’s decision-making capacity is so limited that he is unable to ensure his own safety or meet necessary needs such as food, shelter, clothing, or medical care, without which physical injury or illness can occur.”
MidWestOne Bank was named Fritz’s conservator and his friend Chris Davis his guardian.
Fritz’s family and friends confirmed his death on Facebook on Tuesday
American Pickers debuted on the History Channel in 2010, following Fritz, Wolfe and Colby-Cushman, who ran an antique store in Iowa.
Fritz and Wolfe traveled around the country looking for all kinds of collectibles from all kinds of collectors.
In June 2021, it was revealed that Fritz would be leaving the show, culminating many health issues, including back surgery and suffering from Crohn’s disease.
Wolfe released a statement at the time saying Fritz “is like a brother to me,” adding that he would “pray for all the best and all good things for him on the next part of his journey.”
However, Fritz painted a completely different picture in an interview with The Sun.
‘Mike’s statement was bulls***, someone wrote it down for him. We were never friends in grade school. I don’t think he’s said five nice things to me in ten years, you know? Unless he took someone else down and we were both laughing,” Fritz said.
American Pickers debuted on the History Channel in 2010, following Fritz, Wolfe and Colby-Cushman, who ran an antique store in Iowa; seen in 2015
The former co-stars were estranged for years, with Fritz claiming Wolfe failed to check on him after he left the show.
However, the two reconciled last year.