Mike Wolfe is remembering Frank Fritz, one piece at a time.
The collectibles specialists have been greatest mates since center college earlier than bringing the enduring Historical past Channel present “American Pickers” to life in 2010.
Wolfe, 60, and Fritz co-hosted the long-running collection that noticed the pair journey throughout America seeking uncommon artifacts.
In September, Fritz died at age 60 because of “late sequela of cerebral infarction,” often known as a stroke. He was hospitalized for a stroke two years earlier than his passing. He additionally suffered from quite a few well being points, together with again surgical procedure and Crohn’s illness.
Six months later, Wolfe is detailing the touching manner he retains the beloved actuality star’s reminiscence alive.
“Everyday we think about Frank on set. He was such a big part of the show,” he completely advised The Put up on the purple carpet premiere for the brand new Western “Day of Reckoning.”
“He was my friend since 8th grade. And a lot of times when we are traveling through a property there are so many things that capture our attention that connect us to him. It’s kind of hard to talk about because it’s so fresh, but he is with us in spirit every single day.”
Following Fritz’s demise, Wolfe penned an attractive Instagram tribute to the late star.
“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,” he wrote partially. “The same off camera as he was on, Frank had a way of reaching the hearts of so many by just being himself.”
Wolfe concluded, “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 in a better place.”
Fritz stopped showing on the present throughout Season 21 in 2020, and he was later changed by Rob Wolfe, Wolfe’s brother. The pair had a falling out, however finally reconciled in 2023 earlier than Fritz’s demise.
“I haven’t talked to Mike in two years. He knew my back was messed up, but he didn’t call me up and ask how I was doing. That’s just how it is,” Fritz advised the Solar in a 2021 interview. “The show is tilted toward him 1,000%. I can’t even bend that far down to show you how much. That’s fine. It’s like you’ve got Aerosmith and there’s Steven Tyler and he’s the front man. I found my spot, I’m second and he’s No. 1 on the show. That’s no problem with me, maybe he does have a problem.”
Wolfe is presently taking pictures Season 27 of “American Pickers.”
“We’re filming right now,” he revealed to the Put up. “We’ve got another two months to finish the season and then we’re going to start up again in January.”
Trying again on the unbelievable uncommon artifacts the actor has discovered over time, he shared the factors of what would make them an all-time favourite.
“Really anything antique motorcycle,” Wolfe expressed. “To be honest with you, that’s what drew me into this film, it’s the motorcycle part of it. Anything transportation related, advertising. We’ve been doing the show for 15 years now, so it’s a really long time, so we’ve been very blessed that way.”
Today, Wolfe has made the bounce from unscripted to scripted, as he stars within the upcoming Shaun Silva-directed motion film, “Day of Reckoning.”
“I’ve always been a fan of Westerns,” he confessed. “I’m old enough to remember when they were still on television and going to see them in the movie theaters. The script was amazing and I’m a huge fan of Shaun Silva. He’s a Nashville guy, so we’ve collaborated on a lot of projects together. So it was great to be here and supporting him.”
“The energy on set was incredible,” detailed Wolfe. “I didn’t work with any stunt men on the set but I know a lot of those guys and they worked really hard. I can say there’s almost like blood on every frame because they all worked their butts off, so it’s a great film.”
There might positively be extra appearing within the tv persona’s future, too.
“This is completely different than anything I’ve ever experienced. I threw my hat in the ring with the scripted situation. I’ve done some stuff before. I’ve done an episode of ‘NCIS’ one time and that was fun,” Wolfe mentioned. “I’m trying more things now.”
