What Really Killed David Von Erich In The Iron Claw?

Summary David Von Erich's official cause of death is acute enteritis, an intestinal inflammation.

The Iron Claw's depiction of David Von Erich's death is mostly accurate, though it is never explicitly stated that his "ruptured intestine" was caused by acute enteritis.

The Iron Claw hints at possible drug abuse but fails to address the claims by fellow wrestlers like Ric Flair and Mick Foley that David actually died of a drug overdose and that the evidence was covered up.

David Von Erich's cause of death is alluded to in The Iron Claw, but conflicting real-life stories have caused confusion about what really killed the ill-fated pro-wrestler. Written and directed by Sean Durkin, The Iron Claw is a sports biopic about the famous Von Erich brothers from Texas who followed in the footsteps of their pro-wrestler father, Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany), and created a dynasty. The Iron Claw tells the true story of the Von Erichs' rise to fame as pro-wrestlers in the '80s and the "curse" believed to have caused a string of tragic deaths in their family.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

Although there were six Von Erich brothers in real life, the eldest, Jack Adkisson Jr., died at the age of six before the timeline of the movie. The Iron Claw also leaves out the youngest Von Erich brother, Chris, who died by suicide in 1991. As such, not every death in the Von Erich family is shown in The Iron Claw. While Kevin (Zac Efron), the second-eldest and only surviving Von Erich brother, explains what happened to Jack Jr. in The Iron Claw, the first death that happens in the movie is David Von Erich (Harris Dickinson), the third-eldest brother.

Every Von Erich Brother In Real Life Name Date of Birth Date of Death 1 Jack Jr. September 21, 1952 March 7, 1959 2 Kevin May 15, 1957 Alive 3 David July 22, 1958 February 10, 1984 4 Kerry February 3, 1960 February 18, 1993 5 Mike March 2, 1964 April 12, 1987 6 Chris September 30, 1969 September 12, 1991

Related The Iron Claw Ending Explained The Iron Claw has great performances as it follows the true story tragedies of the Von Erich family. We break down the details of the film's ending.

David Von Erich Died From Acute Enteritis In The Iron Claw

David Von Erich Was Touring In Japan When He Died At Age 25

On February 10, 1984, David Von Erich died at age 25 in Tokyo, Japan, while touring with All Japan Pro Wrestling. He was found dead in his hotel room by a wrestling referee after failing to show up in the lobby (via Dallas Morning News). David's official cause of death was listed by The U.S. Embassy as acute enteritis, a type of intestinal inflammation that can lead to complications such as heart failure.

According to Fritz Von Erich, David had been sick with flu-like symptoms "for about six weeks" before he died but continued to wrestle despite being "in no condition" to enter the ring. Kevin Von Erich believes that David died of a heart attack caused by his enteritis (via The Triumph and Tragedy of WCCW).

David's fatal illness is even foreshadowed in The Iron Claw when Kevin walks in on him throwing up blood in the bathroom at Kevin's wedding reception a week before heading to Japan.

While the film doesn't explicitly mention his age or the date when he passed, David Von Erich's death is portrayed fairly accurately in The Iron Claw. David's fatal illness is even foreshadowed in The Iron Claw when Kevin walks in on him throwing up blood in the bathroom at Kevin's wedding reception a week before David heads to Japan. Kevin tries to convince him to see a doctor, but David claims he just has "stomach cramps" from "a bug [he] picked up on the road."

In real life, Kevin Von Erich and Pam Adkisson's wedding took place on August 1, 1980, three-and-a-half years before David's death.

Related The Iron Claw Fact Check: 13 Biggest True Story Changes & Inaccuracies The Iron Claw tells the true story of the Von Erichs, a legendary wrestling family, but the film changed and left out some details about their lives.

The Iron Claw then skips ahead to David's death, which is not shown onscreen. Instead, Fritz tells Kevin that David died in his hotel room in Japan from "a ruptured intestine" but does not elaborate on what caused it. After David's funeral, Kevin and Kerry (Jeremy Allen White) flip a coin to decide who will take their late brother's place in the title match against Ric Flair. During the tribute show for David at Texas Stadium, which took place a few months after his death in real life, Kerry defeats Flair and becomes the new NWA World Heavyweight Champion.

While the official account of David Von Erich's death is properly depicted in The Iron Claw, the film fails to address the rumors that circulated about his "true" cause of death.

Related Ric Flair's The Iron Claw Role & Who Plays Him Explained Ric Flair, a wrestler, is one of the characters portrayed in The Iron Claw. Why is Flair in the film, and what is his history with the Von Erichs?

Why The Truth Surrounding David Von Erich's Death Is Still Questioned

Some Fellow Pro-Wrestlers Claimed David Died Of A Drug Overdose

While the official account of David's death is properly depicted in The Iron Claw, the film fails to address the rumors about his "true" cause of death. In his 2004 autobiography, To Be the Man, Ric Flair claimed that "everyone in wrestling believes" David actually died of a drug overdose, which Mick Foley, David's close friend and fellow wrestler, had previously alleged in his 1999 autobiography, Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks. Flair added that another wrestler, Bruiser Body, allegedly found David in his hotel room and flushed the drugs down the toilet before the cops arrived.

Related 8 Details The Iron Claw Leaves Out About The Von Erich Family's True Story The Iron Claw depicts many real events in its portrayal of the Von Erich family, but not every detail could be included in the final product.

The Iron Claw does hint at David's possible drug abuse. Before the Von Erich trio's victorious match against The Fabulous Freebirds, clips of David and Kerry partying hard and doing drugs on the road are interspersed in a montage of them training and fighting in the ring. However, the film never suggests that an overdose may have actually killed David Von Erich.

The Iron Claw is available to stream on Max.

Sources: Dallas Morning News, The Triumph and Tragedy of WCCW, To Be the Man by Ric Flair and Keith Elliot Greenberg, Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks by Mick Foley,