‘Trading Spaces’ Designer Frank Bielec Dies at 72

Frank Bielec, a familiar face on TLC home design makeover series “Trading Spaces,” has died of a heart attack. He was 72 and passed away at a Houston hospital on Friday, his stepson Matt Gafford said. Fellow designer Vern Yip confirmed the sad news on his social media feed.

“Lovely Frank Bielec passed away today from complications following a heart attack. I’m so, so saddened,” Yip wrote on Instagram alongside photos of the two. “Unbelievably funny, wise, nice, and talented, Frank always lent the right perspective, and needed levity, to every situation.”

Yip thanked his late friend for “always being kind to me,” adding that he will miss him and that the “world is darker, and much less colorful today, without you in it.”

Bielec was on the well-known TLC design series, which originally aired from 2000 to 2008. TLC briefly revived “Trading Place” in 2018 for two new seasons, with the designer making a brief appearance.

Last month, Bielec reunited via with the “Trading Spaces” personalities, which included Vern Yip, Paige Davis, Ty Pennington, Carter Oosterhouse, Genevieve Gorder, Doug Wilson, Laurie Smith, Andy Obeck, Rob Marish and Randall Tang, to celebrate deigner Hildi Santo-Tomas’ 59th birthday. He is survived by his wife Judy, their son Matt and grandchildren, Mason and Ava.