In American Pickers, Fritz and Wolfe visited mainly small towns and rural areas in search of items. They often would crawl through dusty barns and crowded garages, flashlight in hand to dig out items that they could resell at an antique shop in Iowa.
Fritz often was drawn to antique toys, and he would banter in a good-natured way with sellers as they sought to arrive at a price.
Occasionally they would stumble upon more notable finds, such as a dilapidated van in the woods of a small Massachusetts town that the band Aerosmith toured in before they started filling stadiums with tens of thousands of fans.
Oberlander said Fritz had a stroke in 2022 and never fully recovered. She said a celebration of life, which will include a motorcycle run, will likely happen in the spring.
“He was a fierce friend,” Oberlander said. “He leaves behind an incredible amount of friendships because that’s what was most important to him. A very large amount of friendships. Close friendships.”
