Kerry Von Erich has been a famous professional wrestler of his time. Born on February 3, 1960, Kerry grew up in the famous Von Erich family, where he was surrounded by wrestling heroes. His father, Fritz Von Erich, and his brothers, David, Kevin, Mike, and Chris, were all pro wrestlers. This provided the perfect atmosphere for the young, gifted athlete to hone his skills and pursue professional wrestling as a career.
Kerry was an excellent pro wrestler and had numerous titles to his name. The highlight of his career was when he defeated Ric Flair to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class in 2009 posthumously, along with his brothers and father. Kevin Von Erich, popularly known as the Golden Warrior, is the only surviving brother in the family. He started his career in 1976 at WCCW and became a popular superstar.
Kevin Von Erich reflected on Kerry’s addiction problem and tragic life story in the episode of ‘Dark Side of The Ring‘ a documentary by VICE TV. Kevin explained that Kerry’s downfall began when he was caught with drugs at the airport when he was returning from Mexico.
He said, “Kerry was at the airport, coming back from – I believe – Mexico, and they caught him with a bunch of drugs. Kerry said that– Evidently, he’d gotten in from the airport and he was like not himself. He was kind of, maybe a little drunk and maybe he had pills, they’d combined or whatever, but enough they wanted to search him”. Kevin explained how Kerry got himself into a position where no one wants to be.
WWF IC Champion Kerry Von Erich on the December ’90 issue of WWF Magazine pic.twitter.com/yX8uBubdu9
— OVP – Retro Wrestling Podcast (@ovppodcast) December 9, 2023
This event shattered Kerry Von Erich’s image, and his reputed family was under criticism for the first time, who otherwise were regarded as local heroes. The episode at the airport had a big impact on Kerry’s life, and he started struggling with his demons. He couldn’t get himself back on track, even though he had support from his family.
The Texas Tornado was trapped in the storm of his negative thoughts and was mentally struggling to rise above it. Kevin further said, “We knew how Kerry felt. How, like, he’s like, I’m okay, I’m okay. But, when he’s alone, he was suffering, you know”. Kevin believed that even though Kerry got support from his family. He could not escape the trap of remorse and negativity in his mind, which led to his tragic fall.
How did Kerry Von Erich die?
Kerry Von Erich committed suicide on February 18, 1993, at the age of 33. As per ‘The Sportster’, the superstar had a terrible motorcycle accident in 1986 in which his right foot was amputated. Since then, the wrestlers have seemed off and devoid of charisma. He had to wear a prosthesis under his wrestling boots.
After the mishap, Kerry Von Erich started taking painkillers and developed a drug addiction, which led to his arrest twice. For the first time, he was spared with a warning, but for the second time, he was sentenced to brief jail time. Instead of going to prison, Kerry went to his father’s ranch and committed suicide by shooting himself in the heart.
He left behind his family, which consisted of his two daughters. Hollie Brooke, born on September 19, 1984, and Lacey Dawn Adkisson, who is also known as Lacey Von Erich, born on July 17, 1986. Lacey became a pro wrestling Superstar herself and competed in TNA Impact Wrestling, continuing the family legacy.