Frustrated ‘American Pickers’ Star Frank Fritz Lost Will to Live, Says Pal

Following the death of Frank Fritz on September 30, one of his friends has said the American Pickers star had lost the will to live.

Fritz starred alongside Mike Wolfe and Danielle Colby in the popular reality show, which followed the team as they scoured the country for forgotten gems in junkyards, basements and garages before recycling and renovating them—all while meeting quirky characters along the way. He appeared on the program from 2010 to 2020.

According to Fox News, Fritz died from complications of a stroke while in hospice care. His health took a significant hit in 2022 after he had a stroke that left him needing a wheelchair. He had also had Crohn’s disease—a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that affects the lining of the digestive tract—for several decades.

Now, Jerry Gendreau, Fritz’s close friend, has given insight into the TV star’s health struggles in the months leading up to his death.

“He felt really, really bad. You would go to see him in the nursing home … and one half of his body was completely done. He’d lift his arm up, and it would just drop,” he told The U.S. Sun. “That’s got to be tough, to be totally bedridden.”

Newsweek contacted a spokesperson for Fritz for comment via email on Thursday outside normal business hours.

Gendreau said Fritz was “frustrated” that his health issues prevented him from saying what he wanted to say, which resulted in some days being more difficult than others.

“I’ve seen this when people get tired, they get tired. I think if you don’t have the will to live, you won’t,” he continued. “I think he could’ve lived a lot longer if the will to live would’ve been there.”

Gendreau also believed Fritz would have returned to American Pickers had it not been for his various health issues.

“I think Frank would’ve went back, but he had his health issues. And he did have some serious health issues. From 25 or 30 on, he suffered from Crohn’s,” he said.

Following Fritz’s death, Wolfe’s girlfriend denied rumors that the two men had been feuding. After rumors circulated that Wolfe hadn’t supported Fritz in the years after his stroke, Wolfe’s girlfriend, Leticia Cline, took to social media to set the record straight.

“For the past 3 years I have been a witness to how Mike has done everything possible to make sure Frank has had the best care,” she wrote in an Instagram story.

Cline continued: “It’s been hard to be silent while rumors spread untruths and foster hate but instead of wasting energy defending himself, he’s spent that time on phone calls and in person with Frank and his caregivers including being by his side as he took his last breath last night.

“I never got to meet Frank but have been able to know him through the countless stories Mike has told me about their adventures together before and after the show. I’m so proud of the grace and resilience Mike has had during these years and how he has never let it come between the bond of friendship. Frank will be missed by so many.”

On October 1, Wolfe announced the news of Fritz’s death on Instagram, writing: “It’s with a broken heart that I share with all of you that Frank passed away last night.

“I’ve known Frank for more than 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.

“Who would have ever dreamed we would share the cockpit of a white cargo van in front of millions of people interested in our adventures.

“Before the show we would take off together to places we never knew existed with no destination in mind and just the shared passion to discover something interesting and historic.

“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. I love you buddy and will miss you so much I know you’re in a better place.”