'American Pickers' star Frank Fritz’s will gets challenged months after his death: "I think he'll..."
'American Pickers' star Frank Fritz, whose net worth was estimated at over $6 million, tragically passed away in September 2024. Two years before his death, Fritz suffered a stroke and was placed under a conservatorship to ensure that his bills were paid and his necessities were met. Fritz's legal team had prepared a will as a "safe-keep" before his death in October 2023 to protect his wealth. Weeks after his death a longtime friend contested the will and filed a petition in probate to "set aside will and jury demand," seeking its annulment.
According to a report by The Sun, on December 31, 2024, an attorney for an unnamed female friend of Fritz’s “entered his appearance in the case on her behalf,” meaning the lawyer filed paperwork stating that they would be acting on the pal’s behalf with regard to the will’s disbursement. On February 3, another attorney filed a petition in probate to "set aside the will and jury demand," requesting that the will be legally annulled or declared invalid. Currently, no legal documents providing further details are available to the public, as the case has been officially sealed.
Frank Fritz, from American Pickers Dow has been thrown into a”Corrupt Legal Guardianship! Once again if you think this can’t happen to you? Think again. Corrupt Legal Guardianship is like a rapidly growing cancer in our Society! https://t.co/gb2X5QzWRq
— Julie Belshe @socialjustice4younme (@socialjustice4y) September 9, 2023
Fritz was a collector of antiques and the owner of 'Frank Fritz Finds,' a store in Savanna, Illinois. Reports indicate that he earned $60,000 annually from investments, though he had no debt and was not actively employed at the time of his stroke. Throughout his prolonged illness, Fritz's friend Chris Davis acted as guardian, while MidWestOne Bank was his conservator. “Because of his stroke, 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," the legal documents stated at the time.
A doctor's exhibit, which was included in the court documents, asserted that the reality star was unable to make important decisions and needed a guardian to initiate the same. The legal documents further stated, “Decisions must be made for Mr. Fritz’s care and placement while he continues to recover and receive treatment for his injuries." In addition, MidWestOne Bank stated in the legal papers that all of his antique assets had "not yet been inventoried" and were kept in their current state, except for "restocking the Savanna, Illinois antique store as needed." Jerry Gendreau, the late vintage bike collector's close friend, had previously revealed that they intended to sell his antiques at auction. "That’s what I would do because of his fan base, I think he’ll do really, really well with an auction,” he said.
Gendreau continued, “We may display motorcycles and choppers that represent Frank. Right now it’s set up as an 1880s general store. Maybe they’ll be bikes on a rack all the way down the center." According to the Daily Mail, Fritz owned one of the world's rare bike collections - The Ace - worth $90,000. The brand only existed from 1920 to 1924 before halting production and was then acquired by another business. His other precious antiques included the Aerosmith van, a Jell-O Wagon worth $6,500, a rare elephant's head estimated at around $9,500, and Star Wars Yoda prototypes worth $6,250 each. Fritz left 'American Pickers' in 2020 following health issues and never returned.
