Presley Gerber, the son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber, died at the age of 27 on 20 September.
He died at a rehabilitation facility, according to records from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. The cause of Presley Gerber’s death is being investigated by police officials as a suspected overdose.
Now, a month on, his family members have broken their silence on his tragic death. Posting a black and white picture of Presley, his mother Cindy Crawford wrote on Instagram, 'We are beyond heartbroken to lose our beloved son and brother. We feel so blessed to have had Presley in our lives for 27 years. He is a sweet, beautiful soul who loved and is loved, now and forever. We are so proud of how he showed up in the world, with kindness and vulnerability.'
His sister, model Kaia Gerber, also shared a moving statement. Describing Presley as her 'forever big brother', she wrote, 'I am how learning how to love you when I cannot see you. How to tell you something without picking up the phone to call you. How to be your sister in a world that I can't reach for you in.' She added, 'You believed in people - always believed - in people. You believed people were inherently good because, Presley, you are inherently good.'
Since his passing, tributes have poured in for Presley. Brooklyn Beckham, who shared a photograph of the pair together on Instagram, said ‘I am so heartbroken. Presley you were the kindest and we are going to miss you so much x we love you.'
Paris Hilton also paid an emotional tribute to her longtime friend, sharing a photograph of herself with Presley and describing herself as ‘completely heartbroken’. ‘I still can’t believe this is real,’ she wrote. Calling Presley a ‘beautiful soul’, Paris remembered him as ‘so sweet, sensitive, kind and genuine’, adding: ‘I cared about you so much, and I’m going to miss you more than words can say.’
Brody Jenner commented on Presley’s final Instagram post: ‘love you brother’, accompanied by a dove and broken-heart emoji.
Presley Gerber spoke openly about addiction and mental health
Presley, who had followed his mother Cindy Crawford into modelling and worked for major brands including Calvin Klein and Dolce & Gabbana, had been unusually open about his struggles with addiction and mental health in the years before his death.
Speaking on the Studio 22 podcast in 2023, he discussed his experiences with depression, describing his mental health as ‘a 24/7 job’. He said he hoped that sharing his mistakes could help others avoid making the same ones. He subsequently began sharing ‘Mental Health Mondays’ videos on Instagram. In December 2025, Presley posted a video discussing the prescription medication he was taking and said he had experienced ‘a lot of loss in many different forms recently’.
He explained that one reason for speaking publicly was so others struggling with their mental health would know they were not alone. Cindy responded to that post with the words: ‘Presley - we love you and you are not alone.’
Presley Gerber shared his experience of rehab and ibogaine treatment
In March, Gerber shared details of the ibogaine treatment he had begun at a wellness clinic in Cancún, Mexico. Ibogaine is a psychedelic substance that is not legally approved for addiction treatment in the United States. In the post, Presley described confronting his fears, relinquishing control and hoping that he would not need to return to rehabilitation.
‘Quiet moment before everything changed,’ Presley wrote in his caption for the video. ‘I was absolutely terrified, and I knew I would be again if I ever had to face something like this.’ He added: ‘I knew why I was there. I faced what I had been running from, and somewhere in all of it, I started finding my way back to myself. We shall see.’
Presley finished the caption by writing that he was ‘praying’ it was the last time he would have to come back to rehab, before giving thanks to the ‘incredible’ team helping him at the unit. His mother called him a ‘warrior’ in the comments and wrote: ‘Walked thru the fire to find yourself! So proud!’ Rande said he was proud of his son’s courage, while his younger sister Kaia Gerber commented: ‘That’s my brother I am so damn proud.’
Kaia Gerber on her brother Presley’s addiction struggles
Kaia, a model and actress who recently appeared in Disney+ series The Shards, has spoken about the profound effect Presley’s struggles had on the entire Gerber family. In an interview with Vogue’s September issue, Kaia reflected on the way addiction can affect everyone close to the person experiencing it.
‘When something like that happens in a family, it kind of levels everyone,’ she said. She also suggested that Presley’s willingness to be open about his experiences had challenged the family’s traditionally private approach.
‘There’s only so much you can hide from the world,’ she said, adding that trying to conceal something could make the person struggling feel as though ‘you’re ashamed of them’.
After Presley opened up about his substance abuse and mental health struggles on social media, Kaia said she was filled with pride. ‘My parents for most of our lives were very, very private and didn’t share anything,’ she said. ‘And now we have this absolute teacher, my brother, who says, “I’m gonna be very human for everyone”.’
She added: ‘There’s only so much you can hide from the world. And trying to put a lid on something just makes the person feel like you’re ashamed of them.’
In speaking so openly about addiction, rehab and his mental health, Presley Gerber sought to make other people struggling with the same issues feel less alone – and to show that addiction and mental health should not be treated as taboo. That openness is a legacy that will surely prove meaningful for many years to come.
Jessica Barrett is a Grazia contributing editor, formerly assistant editor. Her work has featured in the Telegraph, Vogue.co.uk, Mail on Sunday, Evening Standard, Refinery29 and the Guardian.