A father and his sons. The father becomes an accomplished and renowned Superstar. Five of his six sons follow in their dad’s footsteps to compete in the squared circle.
Fast-forward and the end result is another great wrestling family being inducted into the WWE’s Hall of Fame: The Von Erichs.
As the family patriarch, Fritz Von Erich quickly rose to become a top performer in the industry in the 1960s and 1970s, based upon his imposing presence in the ring, combined with a very powerful and convincing finishing manoeuvre known as “The Iron Claw.”
Fritz was also considered to have had a major presence in wrestling in Japan during that time frame, based on the same reasons that made him legendary in U.S. Rings.
Is Any of The Von Erichs Still Alive?
Yes, Kevin Von Erich is the second oldest and last surviving son of Fritz Von Erich.
The majority of Kevin’s career was spent working in World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), where he had feuds against wrestlers such as Chris Adams, The Fabulous Freebirds, and Ric Flair.
It was there that Kevin became known for utilizing trademark manoeuvres like the body scissors and the iron claw, as well as for wrestling barefoot.
Kevin has been married since August 1, 1980, to Pamela J. May. Together they have four children, including two daughters: Kristen Rain (born February 3, 1981)and Jillian Lindsey (born February 10, 1985) as well as two sons: David Michael “Ross” (born June 1, 1988) and Kevin Marshall (born November 10, 1992).
Kevin is also a grandfather to Adeline Claire (born September 22, 2004) and six others.
How Many of The Von Erichs Died?
Five of the six Von Erich brothers were dead. The surviving Von Erich brother, Kevin, lives in Hawaii. Jack died in 1997. The Von Erichs were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.
Jack Barton Adkisson, Jr. on September 21, 1952. He was accidentally shocked unconscious by an exposed wire and drowned in a puddle at the age of six in Niagara Falls, New York, on March 7, 1959.
David Von Erich died of acute enteritis of the upper intestine, he was 26.
Kerry came into the WWE and won the Intercontinental Championship beating the late Curt Hening. Kerry was on his way but drugs got in the way as he would be violating his probation he would get heavy jail time and ended up taking his own life in the back of his father’s ranch in 1993. He was 33.
Mike was overseas when he broke his shoulder and then went to have surgery he went into toxic shock syndrome and was in bad condition. He never returned to full health and when Fritz accordingly forced him back into the ring way too early he became depressed and he committed suicide in 1987 by an intentional overdose of a tranquillizer. He was 23.
Chris Von Erich was the youngest, shortest, and least athletic of the Von Erich family. He had a great love for wrestling, he couldn’t compete but tried to but was so sad and upset that he couldn’t because he felt that he disappointed the Von Erich name. He committed suicide in 1991 by a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 22.