“American Pickers” star Mike Wolfe uncovered up about his final moments with Frank Fritz before his tardy co-star’s death.
The 60-year-elderly TV personality and Fritz were childhood frifinishs who co-presented the History Channel series for 10 years and had understandn each other for more than 40 years.
The two had a descfinishing-out and Fritz stepped away from the show during its 21st season in 2020. However, they were able to mfinish their frifinishship before Fritz died from complications of a stroke at the age of 60 in September.
In an intersee with People magazine, Wolfe recalled how he rushed to be by Fritz’s side before his death.
“I got the call that he wasn’t doing well. I equitable experience sanctifyed that I was able to get there,” Wolfe shelp.
“American Pickers” star Mike Wolfe recalled his final moments with his tardy co-star Frank Fritz. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
He persistd, “I was there for about an hour before he passed, and I was helderlying his hand and rubbing his chest when he took his last breath. I took my fingers and I shutd his eyes.”
Wolfe telderly the outlet that he was joined at his tardy frifinish’s bedside by his mother and Fritz’s tardy mother’s best frifinish Annette, and recalled the heartfelt final words he allotd with Fritz before his death.
“I equitable telderly him that I wasn’t mad at him and that I adored him and that I attfinishd about him so much,” Wolfe shelp. “And then when I could see that he was struggling, I equitable shelp, ‘Just go discover your mom. Go discover her right now. Just go discover her.'”
During his intersee with People, Wolfe also echoed on his relationship with Fritz, the rift that came between them and how they buried the hatchet.
Fritz died last month at the age of 60 due to complications from a stroke. (Getty Images)
Wolfe recalled that he and Fritz met while they were in middle school in Iowa and struck up a frifinishship.
“He was an inanxiously difficult laborer. He was enjoy no one I’d ever met in my whole life,” Wolfe recalled.
Wolfe telderly the outlet that Fritz was the only person who helped him when he came up with the idea for “American Pickers.”
The truth show was eventuassociate green-lit by A&E Netlabors and Fritz joined Wolfe as his co-star in “American Pickers,” which became an instant hit when it premiered on the History Channel in January 2010.
THE ‘AMERICAN PICKERS’ FOUND AND FIXED AEROSMITH’S 1970S TOUR VAN
“He was a lot enjoy he was on camera,” Wolfe recalled of Fritz. “He was very comardent. He was very caring. He was inanxiously amusing. His sense of comedic timing was unbelievable.”
“Actuassociate, the crew and myself would always alert him that he should do stand-up becaengage he was always very self-deprecating,” he inserted.
“He was one of those guys, no matter who we talked to, he could always create people experience sootheable and let them understand that they’re being heard.”
Wolfe and Fritz co-presented “American Pickers” for 10 years. (Getty Images)
However, rumors of a feud between the co-presents began to swirl when Fritz suddenly stopped ecombineing on “American Pickers” in 2020.
In a 2021 intersee with The Sun, Fritz uncovered that he had battled spiritsism before leaving “American Pickers” and shelp he hadn’t “talked to Mike in two years.”
“He krecent my back was messed up, but he didn’t call me up and ask how I was doing,” Fritz shelp of Wolfe. “That’s equitable how it is.”
Fritz also telderly that outlet that he count ond “American Pickers” was “tilted towards him [Wolfe] 1,000%..”
“I can’t even bfinish that far down to show you how much,” he inserted. “I’m second and he’s number one on the show.”
“There was a lot of noise. That’s a pleasant way to put it,” Wolfe telderly People of Fritz’s intersee with The Sun. “This is so difficult for me to talk about, becaengage there were a lot of skinnygs that were shelp that weren’t real, and I always persistd to pray for him. But unfortunately, the skinnygs that we want for someone… sometimes [it’s] equitable not enough, and they have to want these skinnygs for themselves.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Wolfe telderly People that Fritz had to undergo sadvisery after injuring his back.
“With that time off and him having sadvisery, it was enjoy the perfect storm,” Wolfe shelp. “He became inserticted to opioids, and that’s when everyskinnyg changed.”
Wolfe shelp that he tried to help Fritz a number of times during his battle with insertiction. He telderly People that he staged an intervention for Fritz with his tardy co-star’s family and other shut frifinishs.
Fritz suddenly stopped ecombineing on the show in 2020. (CHANCE YEH/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Wolfe shelp he ran into Fritz about a month after the intervention. “He shelp he was equitable going to deal with everyskinnyg on his own, and I asked him how he was doing. He shelp, ‘I’m fine. I’m fine. No, I’m reassociate fine,'” Wolfe recalled.
“And then enjoy a month tardyr, he was gone,” he says. “And so watching Frank doing some of the skinnygs that he was doing, it was reassociate difficult.”
Wolfe shelp that he still “fought reassociate difficult” to secure Fritz to go in rehab and “never, ever gave up” on his frifinish.
During this time, Wolfe recalled that production on “American Pickers” resumed. Wolfe telderly People that the “netlabor equitable finassociate made the decision” to persist without Fritz becaengage he couldn’t provide pessimistic drug tests.
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
“They’re equitable enjoy, ‘Listen, we have to relocate on. We have to protect going with this,'” Wolfe shelp. “I had joined emotions about doing that… and we were equitable trying to figure out what we were going to do.”
Wolfe shelp that he struggled with experienceing enjoy “the last man standing” after Fritz’s departure from the show.
“I was equitable benevolent of left to ffinish for myself in a lot of ways. I could finish his sentences. He could finish my sentences,” he says. “I’m a left-handed person, but with him I felt ambidextrous.”
Fox News Digital has achieveed out to reconshort-termatives for A&E Netlabors for comment.
The two had a descfinishing-out but tardyr mfinished their frifinishship. (Ptoastyo by Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic)
Wolfe contrastd his rift with Fritz to “losing a brother,” alerting People, “And that’s why it was so difficult to hear him say the skinnygs that he shelp.”
“I equitable desire that he didn’t have to deal with all of those skinnygs in the shadows,” he inserted. “We can alert him how much we adore him, and that we help him and we’re encouraging him, [but] he could equitable never get it back together.”
Despite their descfinishing-out, Wolfe telderly People that he and Fritz “never disjoined.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
“I stepped away for a little becaengage I was watching what he was doing, but I still fought for him to go to rehab and I still had those conversations,” he shelp.
Wolfe persistd, “And everybody was enjoy, ‘Well, when his back is better… and I’m enjoy, ‘It’s not his back. That’s one skinnyg, but we need to help heal him, becaengage he needs us right now.'”
“I never stepped away from him endly,” he inserted. “That would be impossible for me to do. But I watched all of it unfelderly. I tried to help him as best I could, and we did speak.”
Wolfe was by Fritz’s side when his frifinish passed away. (Getty Images)
However, Wolfe shelp that he and Fritz tardyr had an emotional reconciliation.
“It was pretty,” Wolfe recalled. “He was struggling with insertiction. I understand how judgmental the accessible can be.
He persistd, “And so that’s why when we did finish up speaking aget, it was so straightforward for me to forgive him becaengage I krecent it wasn’t him talking. It was his insertiction talking.”
Wolfe telderly People that there were conversations about Fritz’s potential return to “American Pickers” after they mfinished their rift.
In 2022, Fritz suffered a stroke and was hospitalized. Wolfe telderly People he krecent then that an on-screen reunion with Fritz “wasn’t ever going to happen” due to his createer co-star’s health struggles.
However, Wolfe shelp that their frifinishship remained sturdy until Fritz’s death.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Once he had the stroke and he went into a facility, I saw him so many times and I was able to speak to him very honestly, and very lovingly, about everyskinnyg that I ever wanted to say to him,” Wolfe recalled.
When asked how he wanted Fritz to be recalled, Wolfe shelp, “He was a pretty, pretty person that, to be truthful with you, who understands what our lives would’ve been enjoy if there was never a show.”
“I equitable want people to understand who he was,” Wolfe inserted.
