In wrestling, the drama is often scripted, but the Von Erich family's tragedy was all too real. Regarded as one of the sport's most iconic and successful dynasties, the family nonetheless became synonymous with misfortune, leading many to believe they were cursed.
In the 1980s, brothers David, Kevin and Kerry became a powerhouse in front of wrestling fans, competing under both the All Elite Wrestling and World Class Championship Wrestling banners before all joining WWF (now WWE) at various stages. Siblings Mike and Chris also found success in the sport. The brothers, who had also excelled at American football and a string of other sports, were often paired as partners and gained a host of fans through their talent in the ring and their personalities outside it.
Kerry's most famous moment came in 1982, when he beat Ric Flair, widely regarded as one of the sport's best and most successful figures at the time. But behind their public bravado lay a darker reality.
The first tragedies
The brothers' early life was shaped by the death of their younger sibling Jack, who died aged just six after being electrocuted in 1959 and then drowning in a puddle in Niagara Falls, Canada. The death reportedly sent their father, also a professional wrestler, into a rage in which he violently smashed the family's windows.
In 1984, the family suffered another loss. David, the reigning NWA United States champion and arguably the best "technical" wrestler of the brothers, was found dead in his hotel while on tour in Japan. Initial rumours of a drug overdose were later dismissed; the cause of death was acute enteritis, causing ruptured intestines that filled his body with blood and led to a fatal heart attack.
A chain of tragedies
David's death set off a desperate series of events. In 1986, Kerry survived a serious motorcycle accident but had to have his foot amputated. He tried to hide the disability with prosthetics, and his use of painkillers grew into an addiction that severely impacted his career.
A year later, 23-year-old Mike took his own life after being arrested for DUI and marijuana possession. His career had been blighted by a serious shoulder injury, and he had developed toxic shock syndrome, which left him brain damaged; a serious car crash compounded the damage, factors believed to have contributed to his troubled mental state.
In 1991, Chris also took his own life at the family home in Denton, Texas. He had spoken to his brother Kevin about his mental health struggles before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Kerry, still battling his painkiller addiction, died by suicide in 1993, also at the family home in Denton. His death came after two drug-related arrests, the second leaving him facing serious prison time. WWE star Bret Hart wrote in his book Hitman: "Kerry confided that he’d made up his mind to join his brothers in heaven."
Kevin remains
The four deaths in nine years left Kevin as the only surviving sibling, having lost all five of his brothers in total. Many began to dub the family 'cursed'. In rare interviews, Kevin has said he has come to accept the family's complex and tragic past.
In 2009, the entire Von Erich family was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. In 2023, the family's story was told in the feature film The Iron Claw, starring Zac Efron as Kevin and Jeremy Allen White as Kerry.
