MIKE Wolfe has shared a heartwrenching video tribute to honor one of his most influential childhood icons.
The American Pickers star took to Instagram on Monday to remember Paul Reubens after his death.
Paul sadly passed away on Sunday, July 30, as previously reported by The U.S. Sun.
The actor, best known for his work as the character Pee-wee Herman, died at age 70 following a battle with cancer.
Mike, 59, was one of many TV personalities to show his appreciation for the actor on social media by sharing a video clip of something that resonated with the antique-digging star.
The clip, from a Pee-wee Herman film, showed the child-like character acquiring his classic red cruiser as he excitedly called it the "best bike in the whole world."
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"Remembering how Paul Reubens made vintage bicycles fun and cool. He was a cultural icon," the History Channel personality wrote in the caption.
PAUL'S DEATH
On Monday, Paul's estate revealed the news of his passing on social media.
"Last night we said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer and producer whose beloved character Pee-wee Herman delighted generations of children and adults with his positivity, whimsy and belief in the importance of kindness," the post read.
"Paul bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and wit.
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"A gifted and prolific talent, he will forever live in the comedy pantheon and in our hearts as a treasured friend and man of remarkable character and generosity of spirit."
A statement from Paul detailing his cancer battle was released on his Instagram page after the news of his death was announced.
"Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years," the actor wrote.
"I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you."
LOW RATINGS
Amid the loss of one of his childhood icons, Mike has also been dealing with the low sales of his store and low ratings on new episodes of American Pickers.
Fans have long been questioning whether the show would continue after it suffered a significant drop in ratings.
Viewership appeared to dip following Mike's former co-star, Frank Fritz's firing in 2021, in which once-devoted fans vowed to boycott the show.
Frank used to star alongside Mike before Robbie took over the gig.
But the series - which returned with its 24th season on July 5 - hasn't been doing well, as they lost another 100,000 viewers for episode three.
The U.S. Sun reported 918,000 viewers watched the premiere episode.
For the July 12 episode, more than 100,000 tuned out, with ratings dropping to 803,000.
The U.S. Sun exclusively revealed another 100,000 viewers missed the July 19 episode, as just 713,000 people tuned in.
Recently, he revealed the fate of the show following reports of its struggling ratings.
The History Channel star was featured in a new promotional video for the latest season and disclosed if there will be new episodes of the long-running series.
He noted that he and the rest of the American Pickers crew have been "on the road all summer long" looking for great finds, seemingly hinting that they are filming for the next season.
The video also showed a slideshow of images of Mike, 59, and his co-stars - his brother, Robbie, 62, and colleague, Danielle Colby, 47.
It was captioned: "One missed call. #AmericanPickers."
LOWER SALES
As for his antique business, Mike recently hired a new agent amid his store's struggling with low annual sales.
Mike owns Antique Archaeology with stores located in Le Claire, Iowa, and Nashville, Tennessee.
The U.S. Sun exclusively revealed the American Pickers star has hired a new registered agent for Antique Archaeology Nashville, LLC.
According to the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office, the Annual Report for 2022 was filed on June 23, 2023.
The registered agent was changed from Steve Brown to Beth Welzenbach, who is Mike and Robbie’s sister.
The stores in both Nashville, Tennessee, and Le Claire, Iowa are under Antique Archaeology Nashville, LLC.
The change comes as The U.S. Sun previously reported Antique Archaeology in Iowa’s estimated annual sales, per Experian’s Business Valuation Report.
The company’s Business Credit Score is 23, which is “medium-high risk.”
The report claims of the score: “This score predicts the likelihood of serious credit delinquencies within the next 12 months.”
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Mike has also been slammed by customers for “over-priced” items and selling merchandise instead of actual antiques at the stores.
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