'American Pickers' star Mike Wolfe says he held Frank Fritz's hand as the late star 'breathed his last'

“American Pickers” star Mike Wolfe opened up about his last moments with Frank Fritz before his late co-star's death.

The 60-year-old TV host and Fritz were childhood friends who co-hosted a History Channel series for 10 years and have known each other for more than 40 years.

The two had a falling out and Fritz withdrew from the show in its 21st season in 2020. However, they were able to mend their friendship before Fritz died of complications from a stroke aged 60 in September.

In an interview with People magazine, Wolfe recalled how he rushed to be by Fritz's side before his death.

“I got a call that he wasn't doing well. I feel blessed that I was able to get there,” Wolfe said.

He went on to say, “I was there about an hour before he passed, I held his hand and stroked his chest when he took his last breath. I took my fingers and closed his eyes.”

'AMERICAN PICKERS' STARS FRANK FRITZ, MIKE WOLFE TEAM UP WITH HEROES BEFORE THE HOST RESIGNS AFTER YEARS OF DRAMA.

Wolfe told the newspaper that he was joined at the bedside by his late friend's mother and Fritz's late mother's best friend Annette, and remembered the heartfelt last words he shared with Fritz before she died.

“I just told him that I wasn't mad at him and that I loved him and that I cared about him a lot,” said Wolfe. “When I saw that she was struggling, I just said, 'Go find your mother. Go find her right now.

While interviewing people, Wolfe also reflected on his relationship with Fritz, the rift between them and how they buried the hatchet.

Fritz died last month at the age of 60 due to complications from a stroke. (Getty Images)

Wolfe recalls that she and Fritz met in middle school in Iowa and became friends.

“He was an extremely hard worker. He was like no one I've ever met in my entire life,” Wolfe recalled.

Wolfe told the newspaper that Fritz was the only person who supported him when he came up with the idea for “American Pickers.”

The reality show was eventually greenlit by A&E Networks and Fritz joined Wolfe as his co-star on “American Pickers,” which became an instant hit when it premiered on the History Channel in January 2010.

'AMERICAN PICKERS' FOUND AND REPAIRED AEROSMITH'S 1970S TOUR VAN

“He was very much like a camera,” Wolfe recalled of Fritz. “He was so sensitive. He cared so much. He was so funny. His sense of humor was unbelievable.”

“Actually, the team and I always told him that he should stand up because he always looked down on himself,” he added.

“He was one of those guys, no matter who we talked to, he could put people at ease and tell them they were heard.”

Wolfe and Fritz co-hosted “American Pickers” for 10 years. (Getty Images)

However, rumors of a rift between his co-hosts began to spread when Fritz stopped appearing on “American Pickers” in 2020.

In an interview with Solezwe in 2021, Fritz revealed that he had struggled with alcohol before leaving “American Pickers” and said that he had not spoken to Mike in two years.

“He knew my back was showing, but he didn't call me to ask how I was,” Fritz said of Wolfe. “It is what it is.”

Fritz also told the company that he believed “American Pickers” was “biased against him [Wolfe] 1,000%.”

“I can't even bend over that far to show you how much,” he added. “I'm number two and you're number two on the show.”

“There was a lot of noise. That's a good way to put it,” Wolfe told People of Fritz's interview with the Sun. “This is very difficult for me to talk about, because a lot of things were said that were not true, and I kept praying for him. But unfortunately, the things we want for someone… [it’s] it is not enough, and they must seek these things for themselves.”

During the COVID-19 crisis, Wolfe told People that Fritz had to undergo surgery after suffering a back injury.

“During that period of rest and surgery, it was like a perfect storm,” Wolfe said. “He became addicted to opioids, and that's when everything changed.”

Wolfe said he tried to help Fritz many times during his battle with addiction. He told People that he was intervening for Fritz with his late co-star's family and other close friends.

Fritz suddenly stopped appearing on the show in 2020. (CHANCE YEH/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Wolfe said he met Fritz about a month after the intervention. “He said he was going to handle everything by himself, and I asked him how he was doing. He said, 'I'm fine. I'm fine. No, I'm really good,'” Wolfe recalled.

“A month later, he was gone,” he said. “And watching Frank do some of the things he did, it was really hard.”

Wolfe said he “fought hard” to convince Fritz to enter retraining and “never, ever gave up” on his friend.

During this time, Wolfe recalled that production on “American Pickers” was restarted. Wolfe told People that “the network just made the decision” to continue without Fritz because he couldn't provide a drug test.

LIKE YOU'RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE FUN NEWS

“They're just like, 'Listen, we've got to get on with it. We've got to get on with this,'” Wolfe said. “I had mixed feelings about doing that… and we were just trying to figure out what to do.”

Wolfe said he struggled with feeling like “the last man standing” after Fritz left the show.

“I was on my own in many ways. I was able to finish his sentences. He was able to finish my sentences,” he said. “I'm a left-handed person, but I also felt stupid.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to A&E Networks representatives for comment.

The two quarreled but later mended their friendship. (Photo by Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic)

Wolfe compared his disagreement with Fritz to “losing a brother,” telling People, “And that's why it was so hard to hear him say the things he said.”

“I wish he didn't have to deal with all those things in the shadows,” he added. “We can tell him how much we love him, that we support and encourage him, [but] they just won't meet again.”

Despite their feud, Wolfe told People that she and Fritz “never broke up.”

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

“I've been away for a while because I'm watching what he's doing but I'm still fighting for him to go to rehab and I'm still having those conversations,” he said.

Wolfe continued, “And everybody was like, 'Yeah, when his back is better … and I'm like, 'It's not his back. That's one thing, but we need to help heal him, because he needs us right now. .'”

“I never broke up with him completely,” he added. “That would never happen to me. But I watched everything happen. I tried to help him with everything I could, we talked.”

Wolfe was close to Fritz when his friend died. (Getty Images)

However, Wolfe said that he and Fritz later reconciled emotionally.

“It was great,” Wolfe recalled. “He had an addiction problem. I know how society can judge.

He went on to say, that's why the last time we talked it was easy for me to forgive him because I knew it wasn't him talking.

Wolfe told People that there had been discussions about Fritz's possible return to “American Pickers” after they patched up their split.

In 2022, Fritz suffered a stroke and was hospitalized. Wolfe told People that he knew at the time that an on-screen reunion with Fritz “wasn't going to happen” due to his former co-star's health issues.

However, Wolfe said their friendship remained strong until Fritz's death.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM

“When he had his stroke and came into the facility, I saw him many times and was able to talk to him freely, and with great love, about everything I wanted to say to him,” Wolfe recalled.

When asked how he wanted Fritz to be remembered, Wolfe said, “He was a good, good man that, to be honest with you, you know what our lives would have been like if there had never been a show.”

“I want people to know who he was,” Wolfe added.