The Von Erichs: A Look Into One of Sports’ Most Tragic Families

The Von Erichs were at one time one of professional wrestling’s preeminent families. Unfortunately, for every triumph they achieved in the fictional world they controlled, real tragedy was soon to follow.

Although there has been no one root cause for this family’s numerous tragedies, many have chalked it up to the following factors: sibling rivalry, the general dangers of the business they were in and the pressure imposed by a domineering father.

More sensational viewpoints have also often claimed that the family were victims of some sort of curse with comparisons often being drawn to The Kennedy Family. Perhaps a deeper look into each of the Von Erichs may give us a better understanding as to each of their own individual struggles and allow us to see if they are indeed truly tied by a common factor.

Fritz Von Erich

The family’s patriarch, Fritz’s successful career in the ring was only outmatched by his influence backstage. Image: Online World of Wrestling

The family’s patriarch, Fritz’s real name was Jack Adkisson Sr. Born in 1929, he came up with the name Fritz Von Erich for the character he was portraying as a wrestler. Although born and raised in Texas, Fritz portrayed a villainous German with Nazi connections hence the need for the Von Erich stage name.

He achieved a respectable level of success both in America and in Japan where Professional Wrestling was at its most popular. A proficient wrestler, Fritz excelled both in singles matches and in tag teams with his on-screen brother, Waldo. However, his biggest successes came from outside the ring.

As Fritz grew older, he abandoned his villainous character in favor of just being himself on screen but kept the Von Erich name that his sons would all use throughout their respective careers. Fritz also took on a bigger role backstage as a booker and promoter which essentially meant he was in charge of running the shows and determining the winners of every match.

Fritz’s growing influence eventually led him to be elected as the President of the National Wrestling Alliance which at the time was the most powerful behind the scenes position in the wrestling industry. As he was still an active wrestler at the time, Fritz could have easily made himself the World Champion and the main focus of the industry but he chose not to. Instead, Fritz reinvented himself as a heroic character to build support and began to put his more long term plans into motion.

Following his tenure as NWA President, Fritz focused on running his own wrestling promotion World Class Championship Wrestling. Based in Texas, WCCW was a popular promotion and was one of the earliest wrestling companies to make use of many of the features we see in modern day wrestling like entrance music, pyrotechnics, colorful characters and elaborate stories that often took place outside the ring.

At the very center of the promotion were Fritz’s sons. Despite continuing to use the Von Erich surname, they used their real first names and were presented as a family of clean cut young men from Texas who were popular with men, women and children for their toughness, positive values and their willingness to fight for all the right causes.

This formula worked and each of the Von Erich boys became stars while their father’s business became increasingly profitable. However even as they grew into men, Fritz kept a very tight hold on them. As they grew and started families of their own, Fritz made sure that they continued living within a mile of his home. He also forbade them from working anywhere else besides his own promotion and continued to assert his presence in their lives in general.

Unfortunately, Fritz’s tight grip over his sons did nothing to keep them away from the many misfortunes that would soon befall them. In fact it could be argued that in some instances, it may have even contributed to the family’s many tragedies. It seemed that Fritz’s desire to maintain his sons’ public personas caused him to overlook their many personal struggles. By the time he died in 1997, five of Fritz’s children predeceased him. Let us now look at each of the Von Erich boys and dive deeper into their lives, struggles and deaths.

Jack Adkisson Jr.

Although Fritz and his wife Doris had six children, only five of them eventually became wrestlers. Their eldest boy, Jack Jr, did not make it to adulthood. Born in 1952, Jack Jr’s death was the first of the many tragedies that the Von Erich family had to endure.

At the age of six, Jack Jr. was killed in a freak accident when he drowned in a puddle after being electrocuted by an exposed wire while playing outside. Not much more was ever mentioned about Jack Jr. following his death. Fritz continued on with his career at the time and most of the Von Erich boys were yet to be born with the other two being too young to have remembered their elder brother.

Although the family moved on quite quickly from this tragedy, the many events that were yet to come soon proved to be too frequent and too numerous to cope with.

David Von Erich

Born in 1958, David was Fritz and Doris’ third child. Nicknamed “The Yellow Rose of Texas”, David was seen as the most talented among all his brothers. A skilled wrestler and a charismatic speaker on the mic with a good look to match, David had all the tools required to succeed in the world of wrestling.

So skilled was David that few attributed his success to his father’s influence. Many agree that he would have been successful even without being a Von Erich. Unlike some of his other brothers who became successful because of their father, David felt held back by his father’s looming presence.

Outside of wrestling, David was also a capable businessman who raised and sold horses and was able to make his own fortune at a young age. His exceptional skills as a wrestler and his own personal wealth made him the least susceptible of his brothers to their father’s influence. Wanting to make his own way in the wrestling industry, David left Texas after falling out with Fritz.

He traveled all across America and worked in many different promotions. David learnt from the very best on his journey and he even worked as a villainous character from time to time. This allowed him to be a more versatile performer and by the time he made amends with his father and returned home to Texas, he was a seasoned veteran of the business. It was clear that David was going to be next in line to become World Champion.

Unfortunately, while on a tour of Japan, David died at the age of 25. Officially, David’s death was listed as being caused by enteritis and a ruptured small intestine but the sudden and mysterious circumstances of his death have given rise to all manner of speculations.

The most popular theory surrounding his death was that David died of a drug overdose. Wrestling legend Ric Flair stated in his autobiography that David’s friend and fellow wrestler Bruiser Brody, who discovered David’s body, disposed of the drugs in order to preserve his reputation as a favor to Fritz and to prevent the discovery of the drugs from upsetting his mother Doris. Other theories surrounding his death included a heart attack, an unnoticed injury from a wrestling move gone wrong and speculation from the Von Erich family that David had died after eating bad sushi.

Although David’s death was a huge blow to both the fans and to the Von Erich family itself, Fritz saw a business opportunity in his son’s death and quickly went to work on promoting a tribute show for David. Held just under three months following his death, the “David Von Erich Parade of Champions” was a roaring success and culminated in his younger brother Kerry winning the World Title in the main event.

Despite seemingly bouncing back from this personal loss with a great professional triumph, the Von Erich family’s troubles were far from over.

Mike Von Erich

The fifth child of Fritz and Doris, Mike was born in 1964. Unlike most of his brothers, Mike was not especially interested in being a wrestler. Initially wanting to work as a cameraman in his father’s company, Mike’s ambition in life was to become a musician. However, he was forced into the life of a professional wrestler by his father and reluctantly went with it.

Initially presented as a supporting character to his more prominent brothers, Mike was forced to take a more significant role following David’s death. As Mike resembled David the most among the rest of his siblings, Fritz hoped that he could use that to continue to attract fans. Mike hated the pressure of having to live up to his legendary older brother especially when he had other passions he wanted to pursue instead.

Things only got worse for Mike in 1985 when after having surgery for a shoulder injury, he developed an extremely high fever and was diagnosed with Toxic Shock Syndrome. Mike’s condition was so bad that his family had been told numerous times to be ready to say their final farewells. Miraculously, Mike pulled through but it was not without a great deal of complications. Having lost a lot of weight, those close to Mike noted that he was not the same person as he was before and speculated that his illness either caused brain damage or affected him mentally.

While it would have been in his best interest to retire from the demanding profession of wrestling, Fritz instead pushed for his son to get back in the ring as quickly as possible. Using Mike’s illness and recovery for another wrestling storyline, Fritz dubbed his son the “Living Miracle” and the “Inspirational Warrior”.

It soon became clear that Mike’s condition made it impossible for him to perform at the level his father wanted him to. He appeared frail and gaunt and found it difficult to give coherent interviews. Fritz was disappointed as he wanted Mike to appeal to a female audience and forbade him from speaking about his wife on camera. Mike was soon relegated back to a lesser role.

Over time Mike grew increasingly frustrated with his father’s overbearing expectations as well as the toll his condition was taking on his daily life. Having gotten into a car accident and realizing the impossibility of being the next David, Mike decided to take his own life. Leaving a suicide note, Mike overdosed on sleeping pills and alcohol. He was only 23 years old.

Five years after Mike’s death, his parents divorced after 42 years of marriage. Doris began to hold Fritz responsible for their sons’ personal setbacks and eventual deaths and decided to leave him.

Chris Von Erich

The sixth and youngest child of Fritz and Doris, Chris was born in 1969, over a decade from the death of his eldest brother Jack Jr. Chris’ issues were the complete opposite of his brother Mike’s.

Unlike Mike who was forced into the wrestling business, it was Chris’ dream since childhood to become a wrestler like his father and brothers. Unfortunately, numerous physical ailments made it difficult for him to achieve his dream and impossible for him to ever reach the same heights as his brothers.

Standing at 5’5, Chris was far smaller than the rest of his brothers and this alone made it difficult for him to find much success as wrestlers were expected to be big and larger than life in their appearance. Chris also suffered from asthma and severely brittle bones. Despite being a scripted performance where on-screen opponents are not meant to injure one another on purpose, Chris’ condition meant that even the simplest hold could break his bones.

Despite not being featured as prominently as his brothers because of his frailness, Chris was popular among the fans and played a role in many of his brothers’ storylines from time to time. Despite this support, Chris was frustrated at being unable to have a sustainable career as a wrestler on his own and eventually turned to drugs.

Eventually, Chris’ problems and frustrations were made worse by the death of his brothers David and Mike whom he was particularly close to. In 1991, Chris decided to take his own life at his family home and shot himself in the head. His brother Kevin who had initially spotted him, confronted Chris and left when he was reassured that Chris would not harm himself, unfortunately just as Kevin left, Chris shot himself. He was rushed to hospital and died shortly after. He was only 21 years old and was the second brother to have taken his own life.

Kerry Von Erich

The fourth child of Fritz and Doris, Kerry was born in 1960 is arguably the most well-known of his brothers. Following David’s death, Kerry became the face of his father’s promotion. Like David before him, Kerry had the skills, looks and charisma to succeed in the business and was the natural favorite to win the World Championship in his brother’s place.

However, unlike David who had a steady and successful life outside of wrestling which allowed him to grow and succeed on his own, Kerry’s personal life was far more turbulent and thus he was much more reliant on his father. Fritz unfortunately did not do much to keep his son out of trouble but instead covered up for Kerry’s shortcomings and preserved his reputation, at times even profiting from it along the way.

A notable example of such an incident happened in 1983 where Kerry was caught in possession of over 300 illegal pills. Fritz was able to use his influence and connections to have the case against Kerry thrown out and the evidence mysteriously disappeared. On top of that, Fritz used the fallout from the arrest as part of another wrestling storyline by pushing the narrative that the pills were planted by Kerry’s on-screen rivals.

Professionally, this did wonders for Kerry’s career and Fritz’s business as fans bought into the story. Personally however, it did not help Kerry with any of his issues. People behind the scenes were also aware of Kerry’s personal struggles and while they did not doubt his skill and ability to attract fans, questioned his reliability. Thus, the decision was made to quickly make him lose the World Championship after giving him a reign just long enough to satisfy the fans in the wake of David’s death.

Kerry’s worst setback yet came in 1986. Getting involved in a serious motorcycle accident, Kerry suffered a dislocated hip and a badly injured right foot. The injury to the foot was so bad that doctors were forced to amputate it and advised Kerry to retire from wrestling. Fritz did not entertain any notion of his son retiring and jumped at the chance to promote his return, even going as far as to film interviews in his hospital room.

Kerry was also adamant on keeping his amputation a secret from the fans and other wrestlers. Returning far sooner than he ought to, Kerry aroused his co-workers’ suspicions when he often appeared at the arena already dressed to wrestle and noticeably showered without taking off his boots in order to avoid people from noticing his prosthetic leg. When confronted about it, Kerry convinced his co-workers that his odd behavior and stiff leg were the side effects of a fusion surgery done to his ankle.

With a credible story and the fact that he was still able to perform well in the ring, Kerry’s ruse was quite successful. However, during a match, Kerry’s opponent accidentally took his boot out and was horrified to see that Kerry’s foot was missing. The crowd was also in shock as Kerry slid under the ring to reattach his boot and prosthetist. Despite his secretly being so publicly revealed, Fritz and Kerry vehemently denied that such a thing happened and the publicity eventually died down thus allowing Kerry to continue his career.

In the years to follow, Fritz sold off WCCW and Kerry began performing throughout America. His career was going steady and all seemed well on camera. He had made a name for himself and became the most recognisable member of his family. Eventually, Kerry became the only of his brothers to have worked full time for the World Wrestling Federation. No longer going by the Von Erich name, the re-christened “Texas Tornado” had attracted mainstream attention to a far wider audience than ever before.

Unfortunately, Kerry’s personal life was in steady decline. His rushed return from his amputation had caused him to become addicted to painkillers and he found himself on the wrong side of the law numerous times. Kerry’s marriage was also on the rocks and in 1992 he got divorced.

Eventually his legal problems became too much for his father to cover for and after a period of depression brought about by the loss of his brothers and looking at the possibility of jail time for his latest arrest, Kerry took his life by shooting himself in the heart just over two weeks from his 33rd birthday.Kerry’s daughter eventually carried on his legacy for a number of years under the ring name Lacey Von Erich.

Kevin Von Erich

Fritz and Doris’ second child, Kevin was born in 1957 and is the only one of his brothers who is still alive today. In fact, Kevin is the only Von Erich brother to live past his 30s. Kevin was the first of his brothers to begin wrestling and many note that from a purely technical standpoint he was the best in his family.

While lacking the charisma or larger than presence of Kerry and David, Kevin was a master of submission wrestling and was recognisable for wrestling without his boots on. Kevin was also very loyal to his father and spent the majority of his career in his father’s promotion.

Like his brother David, Kevin had a relatively stable personal life and was not plagued by many of the demons that affected his younger brothers. However, Kevin himself did admit to having a reckless side and had a habit of doing wild stunts.

While close to his brothers, Kevin also felt jealousy towards David’s success and resentment towards Kerry for taking his place. As the eldest surviving brother, Kevin often felt that he had been stepped over. However, he did not harbor any ill will or permanent bitterness towards any of his brothers.

Kevin dismisses any talk of his family being cursed as well as any implication that their father Fritz was abusive towards them. Instead, Kevin is of the view that his brother’s were their own men with their own individual struggles that eventually cost them their lives.

Using his brother’s lives and deaths as a lesson to remain stable and positive, Kevin retired from wrestling in 1995 and embarked on a successful career in Real Estate. Continuing to keep his family close, Kevin moved to Hawaii and now lives on the same property as his wife, children, grandchildren and his mother Doris until her death in 2015. He continues to look back fondly on the time he spent with his brothers and father.

Conclusion

Although opinions will always differ, it’s safe to say that the Von Erich family is not cursed nor could the patriarch Fritz be blamed completely for their deaths. Fritz spent his life working for his family’s well-being and according to Kevin was a loving father who could not bear to part with his sons.

Fritz had worked hard to take his family out of the trailer park they were living in and into a mansion built on many acres of land. He spent his free time teaching his boys how to swim, hunt and wrestle and always wanted to keep them close. Believing that the business that made him wealthy could do the same for his sons, he drove them hard into wrestling and lived vicariously through them and in doing so overlooked their personal issues.

Thus, the Von Erich tragedies were the result of seven men who lived their own lives and had their own unique and complicated struggles to deal with. The only thing binding them was blood and the business they were in. If anything, the story of this family should serve as a reminder to pursue one’s passions in a healthy way and to never feel pressure to live up to any unrealistic expectations.