Inside The Secret Life Of The One American Pickers Star Who Passed Away
Inside The Secret Life Of The One American Pickers Star Who Passed Away
Recently, the hit reality show American Pickers has been hit with quite a few tragedies. Beyond the typical drama that sometimes occurs in the series, some of the cast members have dealt with terrible health issues. Frank Fritz has had severe health problems over the past few years, and doctors aren’t very optimistic about how much longer he has to live.
Back in October 2022, something else tragic occurred regarding one of the main cast members. Mike Wolfe, one of the biggest collectors on the show, announced that his mentor Bob Petersen had passed away.
Mike penned a long letter and posted it to Instagram. He didn’t reveal the cause of death; however, Mike did get really personal with his post. He confessed that Bob was much more than a reoccurring guest of the show, and in fact, was Mike’s biggest mentor.
Here’s everything to know about Bob, and his relationship with Mike when he was still alive.
Everything To Know About American Picker’s Bob Petersen
Not a whole lot is known about Bob’s life, but a summary of Bob’s life story was written on Dignity Memorial. Per that site, Bob was born in Davenport, Iowa, on April 17th, 1938. He also passed away in Davenport, having lived there his whole life. He became a plumber and ended up owning his father’s plumbing business Petersen Plumbing and Heating.
Bob also had a primary hobby revolving around cars. He owned multiple patents involving mechanical engineering. He held a crazy old-school car collection, which Mike raved about once on Facebook. When Bob was on the show, he mainly discussed car topics. Overall, though, Bob did live a pretty private life when it came to his other hobbies and interests.
Bob wasn’t the biggest character on American Pickers. He only appeared on 5 episodes of American Pickers – “Frank’s Big Day”, “Rat Rod Rolls”, “The Jersey Jaguar”, “Pickin’ For The Fences” and “Mr. Whizzer”. While he only showed up a couple of times, his presence was pretty memorable for fans.
How Did American Pickers Star Bob Petersen Pass Away?
It’s currently unknown how Bob passed away. According to Dignity Memorial, Bob departed on September 27th, 2022.
There’s a page on Legacy dedicated to Bob’s demise and his funeral, but there still was no mention as to how he passed away. Dignity Memorial didn’t have any causes either, but the page dedicated to him did say that he did pass away in his home.
When it came to Bob’s mourning, Mike wasn’t alone in his sorrows. Many users on Instagram commented on Mike’s post. Many repeated the sentiment that Bob had a unique and wonderful personality. Others believed in the sentiment that Bob was an important part of the episodes he appeared in. One user even went so far as to say that the show should do a tribute episode for him.
This Is How Mike Wolfe Felt About His Mentor Bob Petersen’s Demise
Mentors are an important part of life. Considering how vast and confusing the world can be, mentors provide beacons of light that are paramount. Ed Sheeran once sang at his mentor’s funeral despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic at the time. For Mike, Bob was certainly that important of a person. It wasn’t just Mike either, as the entire core cast of the show seemed to view Bob in that light.
Not only did the cast comment with their condolences on Mike’s post, but he used the word “we” a lot when talking about Bob as a mentor. For instance, he started the post with “we lost a man that we looked to as a mentor”.
Mike claimed in his post that Bob was an “example” of how to live life correctly. His post also featured a collection of videos that included Bob’s appearances on American Pickers. Mike finished his caption with the somber yet positive note that everyone should “remember Bob from the good times” of the selected clips.
Of course, Mike and Bob’s relationship goes way beyond their time on the show. However, the true extent of their relationship isn’t and probably won’t ever be well known to everybody. Considering how private Bob’s life was, it’s probably better that way.
Perhaps Mike will use what he’s learned from Bob’s life lessons in the future, especially regarding his time on American Pickers. The show has gone through a lot of problems over the past few seasons. As mentioned previously, Frank Fritz has dealt with a serious stroke. Bob has passed away, and another member of the show is dealing with health problems. According to Outsider, Danielle Colby has had a mysterious surgery that’s preventing her from being on the show.
Then there’s all the drama on the show. The show went through a lot of turmoil when Frank exited the show. Mike and Frank had a long-running feud regarding their roles on the show. Despite knowing each other for 40 years, Frank told The Sun that Mike really wanted to be the “frontman” of the show. Frank would leave in 2021 before his stroke happened. Some fans believe that the show has benefited since Frank’s exit, although they still care about his health of course.
Other cast members on the show have had drama behind the scenes, but not to the extent of Frank and Mike’s troubles. If Mike can use what he’s learned from Bob, he can help subdue the constant turmoil that the show seems to be stuck with.
Mike and the rest of the American Picker’s cast are headed to Indiana to find various artifacts. Mike is currently committed to selling his vast motorcycle collection, possibly because of how they remind him of Bob’s love of cars. Regardless, season 24 is airing on the History Channel, with remnants of Frank’s final appearances still featuring on the show.
