Von Erich Family

The Von Erich family is a professional wrestling family. The family's actual surname is "Adkisson", but every member of the family who has been in the wrestling business has used the ring name "Von Erich", after the family patriarch, Jack (Fritz Von Erich) Adkisson.

Although family patriarch Fritz lived to the age of 68, five of his six sons preceded him in death (three by suicide). The firstborn son, Jack Jr., was electrocuted at the age of six in 1959 in a household accident. In 1984, David Von Erich died in Japan from an unconfirmed cause, although it is widely believed he died from a drug overdose. Mike, Chris, and Kerry committed suicide in 1987, 1991, and 1993 respectively. Mike died after taking an overdose of Placidyl and alcoholic beverages. Chris shot himself in the head with a 9mm handgun at his parents' home in East Texas. Kerry shot himself in the chest behind his father's house. Kevin is the last surviving son of Fritz Von Erich and his wife Doris, who died October 23, 2015 in Hawaii.

The third generation of Von Erich wrestlers is currently forming. Kevin's sons Marshall and Ross are now in the business, and Kerry's daughter Lacey wrestled from 2007 until her retirement in 2010.

Fritz Von Erich was born Jack Barton Adkisson on August 16, 1929 in Jewett, Texas. Originally trained by Stu Hart, Fritz became a top star in many National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) promotions, most notably in St. Louis and in World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW). He held a variation of the AWA World Heavyweight Championship at one time in the 1960s. Despite never winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, he maintained his presence within the NWA, holding many other major belts. Fritz also served shortly as NWA President in the 1970s, as well as President of WCCW when it moved to Dallas, Texas. Fritz was also a major part of Japanese wrestling, where he was known as "Tetsu no Tsume" (in English, "The Iron Claw"), and helped rebuild the business after the death of Rikidōzan.

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