'Sprawled out on the floor': Frank Fritz's pal made FRANTIC 911 call before he suffered stroke
'American Pickers' star Frank Fritz has been hospitalized after suffering a stroke. One of Fritz's friends had gone to check on Frank only to find him "sprawled out on the floor" and unable to speak which forced him to make a 911 call before the star's stroke. According to The Sun, the harrowing emergency audio was placed over a week ago at Frank's Iowa home by a friend of the actor.
"Okay tell me exactly what happened," the dispatcher asked Frank's friend who appeared to have gone to the star's home to check on him. "I just showed up at my friend's house here and he was sprawled out on his floor. He can't speak to me. He might be seizuring I'm not sure." "Okay, stay on the phone, don't hang up," the dispatcher responded. The call to the 56-year-old's home was placed on July 14 just before 11 am.
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Mike Wolfe first announced the news regarding Fritz's stroke on Instagram. "I have been very private in the past year in regards to Franks [sic] life and the journey he's been on," Wolfe wrote on Thursday while sharing a photo of Fritz. "There has 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. Now is the time to pray for my friend". "Frank has suffered a stroke and is in the hospital," he added. "Please keep him in your hearts and thoughts. Frank I pray more than anything that you make it through this okay. I love you buddy."
Although they were childhood friends, Frank exclusively revealed that Mike has not reached out to him since he was fired from the show, according to The Sun. “I haven’t talked to Mike in two years," he said. "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." Since Frank was let go, the show's ratings have plummeted to under one million viewers for the first time in years.
According to Fox News, Fritz's co-star Danielle Colby's manager said "At this time Danielle will not be commenting to respect the privacy of Frank and his loved ones during his recovery." He last appeared on the show during a March 2020 episode, before he took time off to recover from a grueling back surgery that left him with 185 stitches and two rods in his spine. Mike was the one who publicly revealed that Frank had been booted from the show in July 2021.
In an effort to turn his life around, Frank recently lost 65 pounds and he was believed to be living a healthier lifestyle and avoiding alcohol. He checked into rehab for alcohol abuse for 77 days. It came after his nasty split from longtime girlfriend turned ex-fiancée Diann Bankson. The vintage enthusiast also suffers from Crohn's disease, which he has been battling for over 30 years.