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American Pickers' Mike Wolfe reconciled with BFF Frank Fritz a year before he passed: "They were not..."

"They were both in tears. Both were crying," a close friend shared reflecting on the much-awaited reunion.

History Channel's antique show 'American Pickers' followed childhood friends Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz as they traveled around the country, looking for rustic gems that could be restored and resold. However, their friendship abruptly ended when Fritz walked out in 2021 citing health concerns and Wolfe's on-screen dominance. “The show is tilted towards him [Wolfe] 1,000%. I can’t even bend that far down to show you how much,” he explained to The Sun. Things smoothed a little when their common friend arranged a get-together during Memorial Day in 2023. Wolfe and Fritz had an emotional reconciliation. "This was not a feud between Mike and Frank at all. They were not feuding. They needed separation to appreciate each other," the friend revealed at the time. 

The friend explained, "Working 10-hour days, seven days a week with your best friend caused the relationship to strain." Commenting also on their reunion, they added, "They were both in tears. Both were crying. Mike brought up how nervous they both were to be going on David Letterman, which was one of their first big appearances." Fritz, despite requesting the meet-up, refused to rejoin the reality show over failing health, when Wolfe tried to persuade him.

In a lengthy post on Instagram, Leticia Cline, Wolfe's girlfriend, claimed that her partner had done everything in his power to help Fritz get back on his feet and blamed the media for spreading false information about their purported feud. She penned, "It's been hard to be silent while rumors spread untruths and foster hate. But instead of wasting energy defending himself, he has 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." Fritz passed away on September 30, 2024, after a stroke in 2022 caused complications and left him bedridden. 

Wolfe also wrote an emotional tribute to his best friend. It read, "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." The reality star dubbed their brief separation as akin to 'losing a brother,' but added that he was thankful they were able to get back together before Fritz's untimely demise. He shared, "I stepped away for a little because I was watching what he was doing, but I still fought for him to go to rehab and I still had those conversations." 

Recalling Fritz's last hours, Wolfe revealed that he hurried to the hospital after receiving a call. He shared, "I was there for about an hour before he passed, and I was holding his hand and rubbing his chest when he took his last breath. I took my fingers and I closed his eye