Wheelchair-bound: Frank Fritz from 'American Pickers'

For more than 10 years (a total of 21 seasons) Frank Fritz was on TV presenting the show 'American Pickers'. When news came out that he would probably never return, fans were shocked.

The reason for his departure was even sadder. Frank Fritz (1965) had a terrible stroke in July 2022 that put him in bed for several days fighting between life and death.

Picture: @mikewolfeamericanpicker / Instagram

Impaired by the stroke, Frank Fritz disappeared from the limelight. Roughly a year after his accident, friends of the star posted pictures of their get-togethers, showing Fritz attending the events in a wheelchair.

Image: Waldo Ewoldt / Facebook

According to the administrator of the Facebook group for Frank's friends, the evening they spent together was 'priceless.' Yet, it is clear to see that Frank Fritz is not the same man he used to be.

Image: Oliver Starr / Facebook

His partner in the History Channel show, Mike Wolfe, confirmed the hard news through his Instagram. Several media had suggested that the relationship between Mike and Frank had not been good in the previous couple of years.

Picture: 'American Pickers' / Facebook

In a statement, Mike Wolfe confirmed the reports about their estranged relationship: "I have been very private in the past year in regards to Frank's life and the journey he's been on. There have been lots of opinions in regards to mine and Frank's friendship and the show but now is not the time to set the record straight."

Picture: 'American Pickers' / Facebook

Three months after the stroke, it seemed that Frank Fritz was recovering all right. However, The Sun revealed that reality was different.

According to The Sun, a friend of Fritz had requested to become the conservator of the star, declaring that due to the effects of the stroke, Fritz is unable to "take care of himself."

In fact, The Sun got access to the documents that were urgently presented just one day before Frank Fritz was sent to a nursing home.

Picture: 'American Pickers' / Facebook

According to the documents that were accessible to The Sun, "Mr. Fritz's decision­-making capacity is so impaired that he is unable to care for his own safety, or to provide for necessities such as food, shelter, clothing, or medical care without which physical injury or illness may occur."

Picture: 'American Pickers' / Facebook

By late 2022, the TV presenter was a totally dependent person. A "longtime friend" took care of him and his administration to avoid "immediate harm to him."

Picture: 'American Pickers' / Facebook

Frank Fritz " is so impaired that he is unable to make, communicate, or carry out important decisions concerning his own financial affairs," as reported by the documents accessed by The Sun.

The guardianship of Fritz means managing the 6 million the TV presenter owned in 2022, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The handling of his fortune is controlled by a financing entity as well.

According to the documents accessed by The Sun, the guardian is responsible for paying for the nursing home, controlling Frank's business interests, and managing his companies and daily costs. The guardian also has to take him to his doctor's appointments and take care of other responsibilities regarding Fritz's treatments.

Picture: 'American Pickers' / Facebook

Among the businesses that needed to be managed, there was the star's famous shop in Illinois: 'Frank Fritz Finds'.

Frank Fritz's stroke was the tipping point in two of the most turbulent years of his life. The Sun claimed that his downfall already started in March 2020.

In 2020, the TV host took a break to recover from a back surgery that required almost 200 stitches and two plaques on his spine.

During that recovery time, Frank Fritz lost almost 30 kilos (66 pounds) which encouraged him to make another important step on his health journey: Attending a rehabilitation clinic to overcome his alcoholism. According to The Sun, the famous presenter spent 77 days in a rehabilitation clinic in Iowa.

After his time in rehab, Frank Fritz kept going to clinic sessions two times a week. However, things went wrong when he tried to get back to 'American Pickers'.

It was his buddy Mike Wolfe who revealed via Instagram that Frank Fritz had been fired from the show. "He's been like a brother to me. The journey that Frank, Dani (Danielle), and I started back in 2009, like all of life, has come with its highs and lows, blessings and challenges, but it has also been the most rewarding."

Picture: @mikewolfeamericanpicker / Instagram

Wolfe added: "I will miss Frank, just like all of you, and I pray for the very best and all good things for him on the next part of his journey."

Picture: 'American Pickers' / Facebook

Now that Frank Fritz is suffering from serious health problems, the air between the co-hosts has cleared. Yet, we can be sure that 'American Pickers' will never be the same.