The Von Erich Brothers

After listening to "The Big Payback" episode of the Snap Judgment podcast yesterday, I spent a chunk of my snow day afternoon reading about the Von Erich brothers.  I had never heard of the family before and I am not particularly interested in wrestling, but I found their story fascinating and could not stop reading articles about them and tributes to them.  My father is one of six brothers, so reading about the untimely passing of one Von Erich brother after another was quite unsettling.  A combination of addiction and depression decimated the family.  Only the second son, Kevin, is alive today.  I fell into a similar wormhole a few weeks ago when I came across a brief mention of the Hemingways, and started reading about the legacy of suicide in that family. 

I especially enjoyed the "Six Brothers" article in the Texas Monthly.  The following passage about the suicide of fifth son Mike was haunting.  There are varying accounts of how third son David died in 1984, with the family stating he died of natural causes and other wrestlers claiming he was found with a bottle of the sleeping pill Placidyl in his hand.  (Chris, mentioned below, is the sixth son.)

In April 1987 [Mike] was picked up for driving under the influence once more, and he was carrying a bottle of pills. When he was released the next morning, he left a note in his apartment apologizing for embarrassing the family and drove out to a spot on Lake Dallas where he’d played as a kid. He climbed into a sleeping bag and took enough Placidyl to ensure he’d never wake up. But to the last minute he still looked out for Chris. In his note he insisted that Chris inherit his scuba gear, and in one of the swim fins, Mike had left a bag of Placidyl for Chris to take when he was ready to get out. 

It is unquestionably tragic for one family to endure so much loss.  Here is the family's website, which contains additional photos and family bios:

http://www.vonerich.com