Yahoo Lifestyle “American Pickers”' Mike Wolfe Reflects on a Year of 'Loss,' 'Heartache' and 'Beautiful Moments' as He Ushers in 2025
In September 2024, Wolfe's longtime friend and former costar Frank Fritz died of stroke-related complications at age 60
Rick Diamond/Getty
Mike WolfeMike Wolfe is excited to kick off 2025 after a year filled with loss and love.
On New Years Eve, the American Pickers star, 60, reflected on the past year and both the blessings and heartaches he endured in 2024 with a celebratory post shared to Instagram.
Alongside a photo of himself smiling amongst his found treasures, the reality star explained that he felt "happy, content and excited about the future" with a brand new year on the horizon.
"This past year has brought loss and some heart ache but it also has beautiful moments with my daughter and family," he wrote in the caption. "The projects that I have thrown myself into have inspired me to do more."
Wolfe, who turned 60 in November, shared how hitting the milestone age has "centered me and brought me to a place in my mind that I feel at peace."
"I love that my circle is getting much smaller so I can be present more with the ones I love," he continued, before addressing his fans. "I’m incredibly blessed for all of your support. For 15 years now we have been able to tell stories and focus on the history, people, and places that continue to bring us all together. I fall in love with America over and over again when I travel."
"There is no such thing as a nobody or a place that is nowhere. Now more the ever let’s seek and find common ground. 2025 We got this!!! 🙏," Wolfe concluded.
The reality star's post about facing loss comes after his longtime friend and former American Pickers costar, Frank Fritz, died from stroke-related complications on Sept. 30, 2024. He was 60.
In a conversation with PEOPLE, Wolfe opened up about his final moments with Fritz and revealed that he was by his side when he took his final breath.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
"I got the call that he wasn't doing well. I just feel blessed that I was able to get there," Wolfe recalled. "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 eyes."
"I just told him that I wasn't mad at him and that I loved him and that I cared about him so much," he said of their last words. "And then when I could see that he was struggling, I just said, 'Just go find your mom. Go find her right now. Just go find her.'"
Read the original article on People
