The True Story of Kevin Von Erich from "The Iron Claw"

The new sports thriller film release The Iron Claw hits theaters ahead of Christmas on December 22 and details the experiences of wrestling giants, the Von Erich family. Their story is one of great success in the world of wrestling, but also horrible tragedy in the 1960s and beyond. The film, directed and written by Sean Durkin, features parents Fritz and Doris Adkisson and four of their sons: Kerry, Kevin, David and Mike. Of the six Adkisson/Von Erich brothers, only Kevin survives today.

The star studded cast of The Iron Claw features Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich, Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich, Harry Dickinson as David Von Erich, Stanley Simons as Mike Von Erich, Maura Tierney as Doris Von Erich, Holt McCallany as Fritz Von Erich, Maxwell Jacob Friedman as Lance Von Erich, and Lily James as Pam Adkisson. The film follows the family as the Von Erich sons pursue careers in professional wrestling like their father Fritz. One by one, they are all affected by what became known as the Von Erich curse.

The Von Erich Patriarch, Fritz, was born Jack Adkisson and became one of the most beloved and successful wrestlers in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) during his career. He was the first to popularize the move, which the film is named after, the iron claw wrestling hold. In 1950, he married the family matriarch Doris and the couple went on to have six sons together: Jack Barton Jr. (1952), Kevin (1957), David (1958), Kerry (1960), Mike (1964), and Chris (1969). Fritz was determined to pass on his passion for wrestling to his sons and have them continue the Von Erich family legacy.

What Happened to Fritz and the Von Erich sons?

Fritz and Doris's eldest son Jack Jr. was the first to fall victim to the family curse as he drowned at just six months old after being electrocuted. Their remaining five sons all followed in Fritz's footsteps and became professional wrestlers before he died in 1997 from lung cancer.

David, known in the wrestling community as The Yellow Rose of Texas, unsurprisingly became a successful wrestler during his career, winning multiple championship titles. He also worked with his father's wrestling promotion World Class Championship Wrestling. He married Candy McLeod and later Patricia Matter before passing away at the age of 25. In 1984, David was found dead in his hotel room in Tokyo. His cause of death was ruled to be acute enteritis, though many speculate his passing was drug related.

Kerry, AKA The Texas Tornado, became the most successful son in the world of wrestling, winning multiple national titles. In 1983, Kerry was involved in a motorcycle accident, which resulted in the amputation of his foot, but even then he continued wrestling with a prosthetic. Sadly, after divorcing his wife Cathy, Kerry would also succumb to the Von Erich curse, committing suicide in 1993 at 33 years old.

The family curse didn't stop there. The second youngest son, Mike, died at 23 in 1987 after overdosing. The youngest Von Erich, Chris, the least decorated brother in wrestling, shot himself in 1991 at the age of 21 following Mike's death.

What Happened to Kevin Von Erich

Kevin Von Erich became the only surviving Von Erich son after the death of his five brothers. Kevin was one of the heavyweights in the wrestling family and earned the nickname The Golden Warrior. He married Pamela May and has four children: Kristen, Jillian, Ross, and Marshall. After a long and successful career in wrestling, Kevin retired in 1995 just two years prior to his father's passing. He didn't stay out of the ring forever and returned to the ring twice—first in 2005 and again in 2017. Kevin is still alive today, and even attended the premiere of The Iron Claw—a biographic movie about his life and the live's of his family who have since passed on.

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