Frank's last American Pickers episode aired in 2020 — what happened to him since, in order
Frank Fritz filmed his last American Pickers episode in early 2020, and the four and a half years that followed played out almost entirely away from the cameras. A dated account of the exit, the public falling-out with Mike Wolfe, the health crisis, the reconciliation, and how the story closed.
Frank Fritz appeared on American Pickers for the last time in March 2020, during season 21 — no farewell episode, no on-air explanation. He never filmed with the show again. Here is what happened next, date by date, drawn from his own interviews and the public record.
2020: the exit nobody announced
Fritz stepped away to undergo back surgery, on top of the Crohn's disease he'd managed for more than 30 years — a condition he'd been open about, and which had already cost him significant weight. When production resumed during the pandemic in 2021, he wasn't invited back, and for over a year the show simply carried on without addressing it.
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July 2021: the interview, then the replacement
Fritz broke the silence himself in a July 2021 interview with The U.S. Sun. He confirmed the back surgery, discussed the Crohn's battle, revealed he'd done a stint in rehab for drinking, and said he hadn't spoken to Mike Wolfe in two years — noting Wolfe never called after the surgery.
"The show is tilted towards him 1,000 percent," Fritz told The U.S. Sun in July 2021.
Days later, on July 21, 2021, Wolfe confirmed via Instagram that Fritz would not be returning to American Pickers. Wolfe's brother Robbie took the passenger seat instead. Wolfe would later attribute the rupture partly to Fritz's struggles with addiction; Fritz put it down to ego and a show built around one man. Both versions went unreconciled for years.
July 2022: the stroke
On July 14, 2022, a friend found Fritz unresponsive at home and called 911. He had suffered a debilitating stroke and was hospitalized; Wolfe, notably, was the one who shared the news publicly and asked fans for prayers. The following month, an Iowa court placed Fritz under guardianship and conservatorship, with filings stating he was unable to communicate or manage his own financial affairs. He moved into assisted living, and his conservator later asked the court to seal the records of his health and finances.
2023: the reconciliation
Sometime in 2023, at Fritz's request, Wolfe visited him — their first real contact in years. A mutual friend described the meeting to the Quad-City Times:
"They were both in tears. Both were crying," the friend said, recalling the two reminiscing about their first Letterman appearance.
The same friend's summary of the whole feud: they weren't enemies, they just needed separation to appreciate each other.
September 30, 2024: the end
Fritz died in hospice care on September 30, 2024, at age 60. His death certificate, obtained by TMZ, listed complications of the 2022 stroke as the cause, with aortic stenosis and COPD as contributing factors. History Channel and Cineflix remembered him in a joint statement as "the bearded charmer," and Wolfe announced the death on Instagram, writing that he'd been there "by his side when he took one last journey home."
American Pickers, meanwhile, is still on the road — now deep into its 27th season, six of which aired after its co-founder last appeared. The bikes and signs Fritz spent a career hunting outlasted the feud, the show contract, and the man himself. In the picking business, that's roughly how it's supposed to go.
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