Cindy CrawfordRande Gerber and Kaia Gerber took to social media on Sunday to remember their son and brother Presley Gerber, who died in September at the age of 27.
“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,” wrote the family in the tribute, posted to Crawford’s Instagram. “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. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support from so many who know and love our family and even strangers who feel our pain. Til we meet again our sweet boy. We love you forever, Mom, Dad and Kaia 🪽”
Kaia shared a separate, emotional tribute on Instagram moments after the family’s post. “I don’t have the words. And maybe the tiny mercy is that we didn’t need them all along. Words fail, and words subtract and words summarize and words always lack truth. How naive of me to believe that language could transcend grief,” she wrote. “I’ve read all of the books and I have none of the answers. My articulation is no match against this, the magnitude of losing you.”
“You know how much I loved being your sister,” she continued. “It has always been, and will forever be, my favorite thing about myself. I came into this world with a white-knuckle grip around you. I had more love for you than I knew what to do with. And now that it has nowhere obvious to go, I’m certain it’s going to swallow me whole… You were my ultimate teacher while you were here, and now I’m left wondering what I could possibly be taught in your absence.”
“My best buddy, my great protector, the hardest I’ve ever laughed and the one true love of my life. You lit all of my candles and took all of my monsters away,” she concluded. “Thank you for being here.”
Presley Gerber, the son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber, died at a rehab facility, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner records. “The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time,” a representative told TMZ. A cause of death was not immediately known.
Presley Gerber followed in his mother’s footsteps and began his own modeling career at the age of 15, signing with IMG Models and featuring in a campaign for Calvin Klein, the Moschino runway and a Pepsi ad alongside his mother.
Presley Gerber had been open about his struggles with mental health and addiction. In 2019, he was arrested and charged with a DUI in Beverly Hills, and sentenced to three years’ probation. In November 2024, he began a series on his Instagram called “Mental Health Mondays” to “spark real conversations about the stuff most people hide,” he wrote at the time. “It’s been incredible seeing how far that message has spread and how many people it’s helped.”
Kaia Gerber recently opened up about witnessing her brother’s addiction, telling Vogue: “When something like that happens in a family, it kind of levels everyone.”
She added that she was very proud of Presley and his willingness to share his struggles. “My parents for most of our lives were very, very private and didn’t share anything — and now we have this absolute teacher, my brother, who says, ‘I’m gonna be very human for everyone,’” she said. “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.”
Source: variety.com
