The harrowing true story of the ‘cursed’ Von Erich brothers – from a freak electrocution accident to a fatal drug overdose – as Zac Efron-starring ‘The Iron Claw’ hits cinemas

The Von Erich family, originally from Texas, is well known in the wrestling world – but it is perhaps even more notorious for its ‘curse’ – which saw a members racked by a string of fatal tragedies.

By the time star athlete and patriarch Fritz, dubbed ‘The Iron Claw’ in the ring due to a signature move, died at the age of 68 in 1997, five of his six sons had already lost their lives; three of them by suicide.

His firstborn, Jack Jr., had died at only six years old after a freak drowning accident.

Chris, Mike, David and Kerry all passed away between the ages of 21 and 33.

Kevin – who is played by Zac Efron in The Iron Claw, an A24 film about the renowned family coming out today – is the last surviving son.

The movie sets to explore not just the harrowing deaths that plagued the Von Erichs, but pressures put on them by their father Fritz and the legacy of their celebrity status in wrestling. 

Here, FEMAIL looks at the inexplicably devastating events that had haunted the father and sons in real life…

JACK ADKISSON JR.

Fritz’s firstborn son, Jack Jr., died in 1959, at only six years old. He got electrocuted after touching a live wire while playing at their trailer park in Niagra Falls, New York.

Afterwards, the young boy fell into a puddle of melting snow and drowned.

According to D Magazine, the horrific accident was ‘a nightmare’ for Fritz and his wife Doris – who would tell her husband that she ‘wanted to die too’. 

The outlet revealed that Doris was so shaken by the tragedy, she would still measure time in relation to Jack Jr.’s death years later.

‘”It happened nearly 12 years after Jackie died,” she will say about some family event.’

DAVID VON ERICH

David Von Erich – played by Harris Dickinson in the film – died in 1984, aged only 25.

Acute enteritis, which is an acute inflammation of the intestine, was said to be the reason. 

As reported by the Dallas Morning News at the time, the sports star was in Tokyo, Japan for a match and was found dead in his hotel room by a referee when he failed to show up at the lobby. 

The disease is not usually fatal but can become so if the intestine becomes inflamed and loses protective lining, the outlet explained.

In an interview with D Magazine, the family said he had been throwing up before leaving for Japan. 

However, many also believe that the real cause was actually a fatal drug overdose.

In his autobiography To Be The Man, fellow pro wrestler Ric Flair, who David famously had a professional feud with, alleged that ‘everyone’ in the industry believes that David died after taking narcotics, which a fellow athlete would have flushed down the toilet before authorities arrived.

David – known for his overpowering stature and prowess in the ring – was called ‘The Yellow Rose of Texas’ and was notorious for his fiery temper in interviews.

He had been married twice. In 1978, David wed Candy McLeod and the couple had a daughter that same year.

Tragically, she passed away in infancy and the pair divorced in 1979. He then married Patricia Matter in 1982, two years before his death.

MIKE VON ERICH

Just three years after David’s death, tragedy struck once again – following news that Mike Von Erich had killed himself at 23, after overdosing on drugs and alcohol.

The shy, quiet son of the family – played by Stanley Simons in The Iron Claw – is understood to have been reluctant about going into pro wrestling, but felt a pressure to follow in his family’s glory.

In 1985, he suffered an injury to shoulder while wrestling, and needed surgery. 

However, complications during the procedure led to toxic shock syndrome, which left him, physically, much weaker. 

Mike – whose name in the ring was ‘Inspirational Warrior’ – made a return to wrestling, but was never the same. 

As reported by D Magazine, ‘in one match he tried to execute a dropkick and landed right on his face’.

His brain functions were affected too – Mike would forget moves as he began them, and lose track of what he wanted to say.

One match in Austin saw him going to grab the mic and yell at the opponent, but freezing as he couldn’t recall the line. 

In 1987, Mike’s body was found in a sleeping bag in by Lewisville Lake, Texas – not far from his childhood home.

His car, which was abandoned nearby, contained what appeared to be a suicide note which read: ‘Mom and Dad, I am in a better place. I’ll be watching.’

He left behind his wife – Shani Danette Garza – who he had married only two years prior.

CHRIS VON ERICH 

Chris – the baby of the family – was known for his weaker physical stature, having been only 5’4′ and suffering from asthma and brittle bones. 

At the age of 21, he short himself in the head with a handgun in 1991. 

It is understood that he was affected not just by the tragic loss of his older brothers, but also his lack of success in the industry.

According to Today, via the Baltimore Sun, he was found by his mother and one of his brothers at their Texas ranch. 

KERRY VON ERICH

Kerry Von Erich is portrayed in the film by Jeremy Allen White – known for his success in Shameless and The Bear.

The pro wrestler died at 33, after shooting himself in the chest in 1993.  

He was known as the most successful athlete of the Von Erichs during his time.

According to Pro Wrestling Stories, Kerry faced tragedy after slamming into a police car with his motorbike in 1986.

He was rushed to hospital and required surgery, where the doctors couldn’t save the foot – and Kerry’s leg was amputated.

Shockingly, he was able to return to his wrestling career and get back in the ring – but kept his disability a secret from the public.

Despite his challenges, Kerry still went on to win the WWE – but was also now grappling with pain killer addiction at this time.

He had faced two drug arrests, and was potentially looking at prison time.

Just a few days after his 33rd birthday, Kerry shot himself in the heart, on his father’s ranch in Denton County, Texas.

He left behind his two children- including Lacey Von Erich, 37 today, who also went on to become a professional wrestler, having divorced their mother Catherine Murray just a year before his death.

Kerry’s last words to his father Fritz were reportedly: ‘Dad, I love you.’ 

Pro wrestler Bret Hart wrote in his autobiography – My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling – that Kerry had told him of his plans years earlier and expressed wanting to join his late brothers.

Last year, before he started shooting The Iron Claw, Jeremy told GQ that he was planning to gain 40lbs of muscle for his part. 

He also shed light on his personal connection to his character, musing: ‘There’s something human about never feeling like you are really your own man.’

The Shameless star added: ‘All great drama is about family, whether it’s blood or not. It’s about acceptance, it’s about belonging, and just getting away from loneliness.’

FRITZ VON ERICH

Fritz Von Erich – played by Holt McCallany in the clip – is known as the patriarch of the family’s athletic legacy. 

The Von Erich wrestling tradition began not with the brothers but with their father Jack, who adopted the ring persona of a Nazi called Fritz Von Erich.

Realising the surname stuck, Fritz stuck with it as a stage moniker for the family.  

Fritz died of cancer in his 60s, in 1997, leaving behind a legacy as the mastermind behind the family’s wrestling clan.

He was also known for his prowess in the ring. His signature move – the Iron Claw – saw him spread a hand over an opponent’s face and squeeze hard.

Speaking to D Magazine in 1988, he hit out at their family’s ‘curse’. 

‘The hell of it is that now people watch us to see what tragedy will happen next. I wish I could explain it, but I can’t,’ he said. ‘We’re better known now because we die,’ he said.

The outlet also recounted Fritz’s strict upbringing of the boys, with the father saying he was ‘absolutely’ not too hard on his kids

‘One time Kerry yelled at me that he shouldn’t get a beating, so I tore his butt off even harder,’ he added.

Fritz also said he had taught his sons everything from hunting to riding motorcycles, and encouraged them to fight back bullies if they ever hurt them.

KEVIN VON ERICH 

Kevin Von Erich is the family’s last surviving son, and is 66 today. He is played by Zac Efron in the movie. 

He is married to Pam Adkisson and the pair have four children together. Two of them – Ross, 36, and Marshall, 31, are pro-wrestlers too.

Kevin is also a one-time world champion in the sport.

Last week, Zac Efron spoke about how hard he worked for his upcoming film in his Variety cover story.

Ahead of the premiere of the pro-wrestling biopic, the 36-year-old actor got candid about the intense preparing for the film and admitted he became ‘obsessed.’

‘It was a singular focus for months,’ he said about working on the movie. ‘And your life goes out the window during prep.

‘That necessity to be perfect… became an obsession,’ he confessed. 

For his latest project, he told the outlet that he worked out for multiple hours in a day and did volume training in order to gain 15 pounds of muscle.

He also revealed that he would actually wrestle while filming the matches, which lasted seven to 15 minutes long, multiple times a day and consecutive days in a week.

He noted that his intense training helped prepare him for that. 

‘I was able to incorporate old-school body-building and Olympic lifting, and really achieved that specific look of pro wrestlers’ he explained, adding it was ‘really hard’.

Zac explained that the physical transformation helped him live in his role but he found himself ‘withdrawing’ just like his character.

‘It was an unforeseen ally,’ he said. ‘Having all that weight on, you don’t feel normal.

‘And the delayed-onset muscle soreness was through the roof,’ he admitted.

‘During preparation, it’s one thing to mange that — you don’t have to be super social. I found myself withdrawing quite a bit’. 

In an interview with TMZ last year, the real Kevin Von Erich showered praise on Zac, saying with a laugh that ‘I saw a picture of the guy – he looked great, man, I don’t think I ever looked that good!’ 

Kevin also spared a few warm words for Sean, adding: ‘I talked to the director. He seemed like a really nice guy.’ 

While he predicted that the movie would be a ‘hard job’ because of all the ‘information’ and the lengthy time period that has to be crammed into the script, he was optimistic that ‘they’re gonna do great.