The cause of American Pickers star Frank Fritz’s death has been revealed.
Per Fritz’s death certificate, obtained by TMZ on Friday, October 11, it was determined that the reality star, 60, died last month of “late sequela of cerebral infarction,” or a stroke that resulted from cerebral vascular disease.
Fritz died in hospice care on September 30. He was 60.
TV personalities Frank Fritz (L) and Mike Wolfe from History Channels “American Pickers” attend the grand opening of the History Pop Shop at History Pop Shop on December 6, 2010 in New York City. Frank Fritz passed away on September 30.
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Newsweek previously corresponded with Jerry Gendreau, a close friend of Fritz’s, who said the TV personality had been struggling both physically and emotionally for some time, and that he thought Fritz’s unhappiness contributed to his death. “If you don’t have the will to live, you won’t,” said Gendreau. “I think he could’ve lived a lot longer if the will to live would’ve been there.”
Fritz and Mike Wolfe co-hosted American Pickers — which follows the team as they scour the country for forgotten gems and recycle and renovate them while meeting quirky characters along the way — from the show’s premiere in 2018 until the 2020 season. Unfortunately, Fritz had to exit the History Channel show due to his health difficulties.
Wolfe, 60, wrote an emotional tribute to Fritz on Instagram: “I’ve know[n] Frank for more then [sic] half my life and what you’ve seen on TV has always been what I have seen, a dreamer who was just as sensitive as he was funny. The same off camera as he was on, Frank had a way of reaching the hearts of so many by just being himself.”
Wolfe apparently remained close with his co-star until Fritz’s death, as he wrote in his post: “We’ve been on countless trips and shared so many miles and I feel blessed that I was there by his side when he took one last journey home.”
