Mike Wolfe’s girlfriend has denied rumors that Wolfe and his former American Pickers co-star Frank Fritz were feuding in the lead-up to Fritz’s death.
The two men, alongside Danielle Colby-Cushman, starred in the popular show, which follows the team as they scour the country for forgotten gems in junkyards, basements and garages and recycle and renovate them while meeting quirky characters along the way.
Fritz died, aged 60, on Monday. While his cause of death has not yet been disclosed, his health took a huge hit in 2022 after he suffered a stroke that left him needing a wheelchair. He had also suffered with Crohn’s disease—a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that affects the lining of the digestive tract—for several decades.
After rumors circulated that he hadn’t supported Fritz in the years after his stroke, Wolfe’s girlfriend Leticia Cline took to her Instagram story to set the record straight.
Newsweek emailed a spokesperson for Wolfe for comment on Wednesday outside of normal business hours.
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“For the past 3 years I have been a witness to how Mike has done everything possible to make sure Frank has had the best care,” she wrote.
“It’s been hard to be silent while rumors spread untruths and foster hate but instead of wasting energy defending himself, he’s spent that time on phone calls and in person with Frank and his caregivers including being by his side as he took his last breath last night.
“I never got to meet Frank but have been able to know him through the countless stories Mike has told me about their adventures together before and after the show. I’m so proud of the grace and resilience Mike has had during these years and how he has never let it come between the bond of friendship. Frank will be missed by so many.”
Cline isn’t the only person who has stuck up for Mike Wolfe. In an interview with Mail Online in September, his brother Rob Wolfe denied that there was bad blood between the former costars.
“We’re in contact with him. The crew and I go up and see him,” Rob Wolfe said about Fritz.
“It’s kind of hard to talk about Frank in general, because he can’t really talk about it for himself. My brother sees him more than I do.”
Mike Wolfe took to Instagram on October 1 to share the news of Fritz’s death, writing: “It’s with a broken heart that I share with all of you that Frank passed away last night.
“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.”
He 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 you’re in a better place.”
Fritz and Mike Wolfe had previously had a public falling out after Fritz took a break from American Pickers to spend time recovering from back surgery.
When the show returned in January 2021, Fritz was still not on the show, with Mike Wolfe later releasing a statement to say that Fritz would not be returning to the series.
“I have known Frank for as long as I can remember, he’s been like a brother to me,’ he said in a statement at the time,” he said.
“The journey that Frank, Dani [Colby] 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.”
He 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.”
Previously speaking to Newsweek, Fritz responded to Mike Wolfe’s statement: “Mike’s statement was bulls***. Somebody wrote it out for him. I don’t believe in 10 years he’s said five nice things to me, you know? Unless he was cutting somebody else down and we were both laughing.”
According to various reports, in May 2023, the feuding former costars repaired their relationship.
