American Pickers’ Mike Wolfe Recalls Frank Fritz’s Opioid Addiction

Frank Fritz and Mike Wolfe D Dipasupil/FilmMagic

American Pickers’ Mike Wolfe is getting candid about his costar and friend Frank Fritz’s opioid addiction.

“Here’s the deal,” Wolfe, 60, told People in an interview published on Monday, November 4. “I don’t have the right to tell his story — only he does. But I do have, I feel, the right to tell the personal story of how myself and so many people struggled to navigate what was going on in his life.”

According to Wolfe, he and Fritz were both navigating “relationships that were falling apart” amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which collided with Fritz dealing with a back injury and undergoing surgery.

Wolfe called the time off due to the pandemic and Fritz’s surgery a “perfect storm.” Wolfe added, “He became addicted to opioids, and that’s when everything changed.”

The pair’s inner circle subsequently had an intervention. A month later, Wolfe said Fritz was positive about how he was doing — but despite Fritz’s suggestion that things were OK, Wolfe said his struggle was noticeable.

When filming resumed for American Pickers, Wolfe claimed to have “fought really hard” to get Fritz into rehab. After production asked for negative drug tests, Fritz couldn’t provide them.

The History Channel/YouTube

“The network just finally made the decision,” Wolfe said. “They’re just like, ‘Listen, we have to move on. We have to keep going with this.’ I had mixed emotions about doing that … and we were just trying to figure out what we were going to do.”

Fritz, who hosted American Pickers for 10 years after its 2010 debut with Wolfe, exited the series in 2021.

Fritz died at age 60 on September 30. His rep told TMZ in October that Fritz died from the effects of a stroke and was in a hospice facility surrounded by friends at the time of his death. One day after Fritz’s death, Wolfe shared the news in a tribute via Instagram.

“It’s with a broken heart that I share with all of you that Frank passed away last night,” Wolfe wrote in October. “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,” Wolfe continued. “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 your [sic] in a better place.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).