Presley Gerber, son of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, died Sunday in an undisclosed rehab facility. He was 26. His sister, model Kaia Gerber, had praised his openness about his addiction and mental health struggles just a month before his death, in a Vogue cover story published in August.
“He’s probably the greatest teacher I’ve had, in the sense that there’s only so much you can hide from the world,” Kaia told Vogue.
Presley’s struggles played out largely in public over the past decade. In California, he was arrested for DUI at age 19 and pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charge the following year. In 2024, he disclosed a dependency on prescription medication and revealed he had suffered a near-fatal fentanyl overdose that left him in a coma. He later announced he was sober from alcohol, named the depressants he took for panic attacks, and posted regular updates under the label “Mental Health Mondays.”
In March, Presley told followers he was addressing what he “had been running from” at a wellness clinic in Mexico. Kaia responded publicly at the time, writing she was “so damn proud.”
Presley wrote on Instagram in March that he had “started finding [his] way back to [him]self,” adding: “We shall see. Praying it’s the last time I have to come back [to treatment]. Next time I’d like to choose.”
A Break From Family Privacy
In the Vogue interview, Kaia contrasted her brother’s candor with the approach taken by their parents. Crawford and Gerber, she said, “were very, very private and didn’t share anything … for most of [their] lives.”
“Trying to put a lid on something just makes the person feel like you’re ashamed of them.”
Kaia also described how her brother’s difficulties reshaped the family dynamic and pushed her toward a different role.
“When something like that happens … it kind of levels everyone. I think that’s also why I started to self-identify as the easy one and never wanted to ask for help.”
She added that it “felt like too much to have two children who were needing.”
Following news of Presley’s death, Kaia and her parents issued a joint statement asking for “privacy during this very difficult and painful time.” None of the three have commented further. An autopsy has not yet been completed, and Presley’s cause of death remains unknown.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
