Kerry Gene Adkisson better known by his ring name Kerry Von Erich was an American professional wrestler. He was part of the Von Erich family of professional wrestlers.
He is best known for his time with his father’s promotion World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), where he spent eleven years of his career, and his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), under the ring name The Texas Tornado.
Adkisson held forty championships in various promotions during his career. Among other accolades, he was a one-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, and four-time WCWA World Heavyweight Champion, making him an overall five-time world champion and one-time WWF Intercontinental Champion.
Kerry’s final match took place on February 12, 1993. It was a tag team match in the GWF at the Sportatorium on which Kerry and Chris Adams lost via disqualification to Johnny Mantell and Black Bart.
Kerry Von Erich Cause of Death
On June 4, 1986, Kerry was in a motorcycle accident that nearly ended his life. He suffered a dislocated hip and a badly injured right leg. Doctors were unable to save his right foot, eventually amputating it.
According to his brother Kevin, Kerry injured the foot following surgery by attempting to walk on it prematurely, thus forcing the doctors to amputate it.
He continued wrestling after the accident with a prosthesis and kept the amputation secret from the majority of fans and fellow wrestlers, even going to the extreme of showering with his boots on.
His amputation was kept secret from the public until after his death. However, Roddy Piper stated in his autobiography: “We were the best of friends. In fact, he felt comfortable enough to sit with me in a hotel and shoot the breeze with his prosthetic off”.
After the amputation of his foot, Kerry became addicted to painkillers, followed by several drug problems. Among the many of them were two arrests, the first of which resulted in probation.
One day after being indicted for the second charge, which likely would have resulted in extensive jail time (being a violation of his probation), Kerry died by suicide with a single gunshot to the heart with a .44 calibre pistol on February 18, 1993, on his father’s ranch in Denton County, Texas, just 15 days after his 33rd birthday.