The Heartbreaking Death That Began The Von Erich Family Tragedies

When it comes to the Von Erich Family legacy, and the tragedies that unfortunately permeate throughout, most wrestling fans are aware of the deaths of David, Mike, Chris, and Kerry, all within the span of not even a decade, but what has sometimes been called "The Von Erich Curse" can go as far back as 1959. Jack Barton Adkisson Jr., born in 1952, was the first-born of Jack Sr. (Fritz Von Erich) and his wife Doris. In a real-life exhibition of every parent's worst nightmare, at just six years old, Jack Jr. died after being electrocuted by a trailer hitch and drowning in a puddle in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Kevin, and the late David Von Erich were toddlers when their oldest brother died, so perhaps too young to truly remember in detail, but this sort of tragedy strikes deep, and that sort of trauma can shape an existence forevermore.

Jack Jr.'s death was said to have been an accelerant for Fritz's aggressive nature, though, as depicted in 2023's "The Iron Claw," it was the death of David in 1984 that sent the family's patriarch into a tailspin. Obsessed with the NWA World Championship, which he was never able to capture himself, Fritz leaned heavily into David, Mike, Kevin, and Kerry to bring the title into the Adkisson/Von Erich household, while the diminutive Chris, the youngest brother, never really had his father's full faith, at least in terms of his wrestling prowess. 

That pressure, coupled with several other factors, undoubtedly, led to an unbearable string of deaths that all started with Jack Jr. All of David, Mike, Chris, and Kerry would die young, with David's death the only one of the four that wasn't at his own hand. The rising star died in Japan with the official cause being enteritis causing his intestines to rupture, though some had other theories, including Ric Flair, who claimed an overdose, and others (namely Kerry) who'd cite a heart attack.

From there—and it never stops seeming surreal to rehash—Mike, Chris, and Kerry all committed suicide within a six-year span, and Fritz and Doris would eventually divorce in 1992. Fritz died in 1997 from brain cancer, and Doris in 2015 at the age of 82. Kevin would accept a WWE Hall of Fame induction on behalf of his late brothers and father in 2009, and his sons Ross and Marshall have been working for Ring of Honor on and off since 2023.

But, while it all goes back to the untimely death of young Jack when it comes to the Von Erich Family tragedies, Kevin has always spoken positively of his family, its legacy, and his outlook on life. Wearing a smile as big as they say things are in his home state, Kevin hugged longtime rival, and Hall of Fame inductor, Michael "PS" Hayes, and started off his speech in front of the Houston crowd by saying, "God bless Texas!" and giving the customary "Hook 'em!" hand gesture, before inevitably bringing tears to the audience in attendance and those at home.

"I know I'm getting patted on the back," Kevin said, "[but] my brothers and my dad, I wish they were here to absorb this great moment with me but, darn, you know. Don't think I'm alone because we call each other 'brother,' the wrestlers and I'll tell you what, this is just how it is, and these guys are like my family." Speaking further about a wrestling tour in Africa late in his career, soon after Kerry died, Kevin thanked those who helped stand him up and added, "It looked like I was out of brothers but no, I wasn't. I've still got a family full."