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WHEN the patriarch of one of America’s greatest wrestling families died of cancer in 1997, only one of his six sons was still alive.
Kevin Von Erich, played by a Hollywood A-Lister in film The Iron Claw, is the only surviving member of the Von Erich brothers.
WWEWho is Kevin Von Erich?
A member of world-famous professional wrestling Von Erich family, Kevin is a one-time WCWA World Heavyweight champion.
He and four of his brothers followed in his dad Fritz Von Erich’s footsteps to compete inside the squared circle.
He was born Kevin Ross Adkisson on May 15, 1957, and retired in 1995 after an astonishing career which kicked off in 1976 when he started wrestling under his family’s ring name, Von Erich.
Kevin’s natural athletic ability and good looks – and tendency to wrestle barefoot – made him a recognisable face of the sport.
World Class announcers often referred to him as “The Barefoot Boy” on WCCW broadcasts.
Who were Kevin Von Erich’s brothers?
Of Fritz Von Erich’s six sons, only Kevin remains alive as of October 2023.
Kevin’s oldest brother Jack Junior was electrocuted and drowned in a puddle when he was just six years old, and his brother David died in a Tokyo hotel from enteritis at the age of 25.
His other three brothers – Mike, Chris, and Kerry – all died by suicide.
Mike was just 23 when he died in 1987.
Chris tragically died eighteen days before his 22nd birthday in 1991, while Kerry was 33 when he took his own life in 1993.
Kevin’s first major success came in 1978 while wrestling as tag team with his younger brother David.
David and Kerry were Kevin’s most high-profile wrestling partners.
What happened to Kevin Von Erich?
Kevin married his wife Pam in 1980 and formally retired from the sport which had been his life by the end of 1995.
He made a brief comeback in 2017, aged 60, and teamed up with his sons Ross and Marshall to defeat a trio of wrestlers in Tel Aviv, Israel.
The sports icon now lives in Hawaii where he runs a family investment business with his wife, dabbles in commercial real estate, and owns the rights to K.R. Adkisson Enterprises, formerly Southwest Sports.
Kevin and Pam have four children and eleven grandchildren together.
Who plays Kevin Von Erich in The Iron Claw?
It was Kevin’s dad Fritz who popularised the Von Erich family’s signature move, the Iron Claw, which involves a wrestler gripping his opponent’s face and squeezing.
But Kevin also became known for the manoeuver.
A biopic feature film named after the trademark move, starring Zac Efron as Kevin, will be released in the US on December 22, 2023.
Actress Lily James plays Kevin’s wife Pam and Jeremy Allen White his brother Kerry.
In the movie’s first trailer, Kevin said in a voiceover: “Ever since I was a child, people said my family was cursed.
“Mum tried to protect us with God. Pop tried to protect us with wrestling.
“He said if we were the toughest, the strongest, nothing could ever hurt us. I believed him; we all did.”
You're not alone
SUICIDE is the 10th leading cause of death in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Leading Causes of Death Report from 2018.
There were “more than two and half times as many suicides” in the US than there were homicides, according to the report.
For people ages 10 and 34, suicide was the “second leading cause of death” and the fourth for individuals ages 35 to 54.
Suicide is a vital health concern in the U.S. It affects all genders, races and ages.
This is why The-Sun.com launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The campaign calls on readers to discuss their mental health issues with their family, friends and health professionals. We can all pitch in to help out others who may be suffering and help save lives.
If you are struggling to cope, you are not alone. There are many free and confidential programs in the US aimed to help those who are struggling with their mental health.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health problems, these organizations are here to provide support:
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org, 1-800-273-TALK
- Crisis Text Line, www.crisistextline.org, Text HOME to 741741
- Veterans Crisis Hotline, www.veteranscrisisline.net, 1-800-273-8255
- Trevor Project, www.thetrevorproject.org, 1-866-488-7386
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