Presley Gerber, the son of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, died aged 27 at a Los Angeles rehab facility on Sunday, September 20. He was the child of former 1990s supermodel Crawford, 60, and millionaire businessman Gerber, 64.
Officers from the Santa Monica Police Department responded to a report of a "possible overdose" at approximately 9.35am on Monday following the incident at the facility. Police stated that "at this time, there is no indication of foul play."
Crawford's publicist confirmed the news in a statement, saying, "The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time."
An insider close to the family told the Daily Mail that those who knew Presley feared his untimely death was "inevitable." The family friend said, "I truly didn't think there was any way out for Prez. It's so sad to say, but it felt inevitable."
The insider added, "It wasn't that he didn't try. He just couldn't seem to handle the pressure of being born into a famous family. He always felt he was being judged by outsiders and had to live up to his parents' successes."
Presley's life differed sharply from the typical image of a spoiled "nepo baby." The family friend revealed, "When he was getting huge modeling gigs, he didn't think it was because of him. He thought it was because he was Cindy Crawford's son. The stress became a huge obstacle."
The friend noted, "He was brought up with great love and respect for others, but his biggest problem was he didn't ever think he was enough." An eyewitness at the Los Angeles rehab facility also described the horror moment the ambulance arrived on Sunday.
Modeling Career and Youth in Malibu
Born in Brentwood, California, in 1999, Presley grew up in Malibu and attended Malibu High School. He was scouted at age 15 and signed to IMG Models, the same agency as his younger sister Kaia Gerber, 25.
Recalling his rapid entry into fashion on the Studio 22 podcast in 2023, Presley said, "Within the first week of signing I'm in New York and people are taking pictures of me, like, shirt off. My whole life changed within a month, and it was just a very profound experience because I had to grow up quickly."
He made his runway debut in 2016 for Italian label Moschino and later walked for Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Bottega Veneta, Tommy Hilfiger, and Ralph Lauren. Most recently, he served as the face of Celine's Eau de Californie fragrance and starred alongside his family in a campaign for Californian activewear brand Vuori last year.
Presley often looked back fondly on his pre-fame life, posting old home videos and photos on Instagram with captions like "the good old days." He noted that his quality of life rapidly decreased when he transitioned from a teenager playing water polo or swimming for hours to constantly traveling the world for fashion shows.
Reflecting on his career transition last year, Presley said, "For me it took ten years of looking back at my life being like 'what changed?' People would always ask: 'You were such a happy kid, what happened to you?' What happened was life happened and I wasn't able to worry about one thing which was my next meal and then get back in the ocean. I had to start making money and get a job."
Mental Health Advocacy and Substance Battles
In March 2023, Presley launched an Instagram initiative called Mental Health Mondays to discuss his struggles. In his introduction video, he said, "I have struggled with mental health a lot of my adult life and starting at a very young age. I think that right now it's the ultimate pandemic, so we need to bring light to this."
Over the last three years, Presley spoke openly about using substances including ketamine, "poppy seed tea" used for pain, alcohol, and nicotine. He also detailed taking prescription medications including Diazepam (Valium), zolpidem, Prozac, trazodone, kratom, Xanax, and Adderall.
In November last year, he announced he had to "step back and take care of my own mental health for a bit," promising fans he would be "coming back soon - stronger, clearer, more intentional than ever."
In a since-deleted video in December, Presley revealed he was taking 1mg of Buprenorphine, a prescription opioid for pain and opioid use disorders, twice daily. He shared that "benzos have been fluctuating up and down depending on what's been going on in my life" and that he took Xanax at night or when "panic attacks are really, really bad."
He added in December, "Unfortunately, I've had a lot of loss in many different forms recently, so that is not an excuse, but it's the reason or part of why I am where I'm at now," without disclosing details of the loss.
After appearing healthy at a Los Angeles event for Paris Hilton's second album in January, Presley traveled to the Beond Ibogaine clinic in Cancun, Mexico, in March, where 10-day programs start at $12,500. The treatment uses an Ibogaine Flood Dose, a psychoactive compound from the African shrub Tabernanthe iboga reported to help withdrawal symptoms, reset brain pathways, and trigger introspective psychedelic experiences.
Posting on Instagram after the treatment, Presley wrote, "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... Praying it's the last time I have to come back." His family praised his courage and called him a "warrior."
Family Interventions and Sibling Dynamics
Despite the treatment, Presley returned to rehab shortly before his death. A family friend revealed, "He hasn't been sober for years. There were always drugs, alcohol or medications. He very rarely had a clear day in the last decade. Prez has been in self-destruct mode for most of his adult life. He had rehabs, counseling and dozens of psychiatrists, but nothing seemed to work."
The insider shared that Rande Gerber and Cindy Crawford held many discussions with Presley about his life direction, and Rande vowed never to give up on his son. The friend added, "Even Kaia would try to intervene. She loved him so much, but she knew she was powerless."
Kaia Gerber, 25, has built a high-profile career as a model earning an estimated $5 million annually, while starring in television series including American Horror Story and Ryan Murphy's adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's novel The Shards.
In an interview with Vogue last month, Kaia spoke about her brother's long struggle with depression and addiction, which saw him tattoo the word "misunderstood" on his face and plead no contest to a 2019 DUI charge that resulted in three years' probation. Kaia said, "When something like that happens in a family, it kind of levels everyone."
Kaia also revealed her own struggles with disordered eating and recalled undergoing an exorcism after being told she was possessed. A family insider noted that Presley "became like this wild child whose distress was allowed to be visible and disruptive," while Kaia became "extraordinarily self-contained, competent and a low-needs person."
The insider added, "They will say that they have very different memories of their childhood. Presley needed help constantly - that was the vibe in the house. He gets permission to do that. So, what does she do? She becomes overly controlled, accommodating."
Presley made his last public appearance in May in Los Angeles supporting Kaia at the Re/Done x Kaia Gerber Short/Cuts launch event. Following his death, his ex-girlfriend Charlotte D'Alessio shared an emotional tribute online.
Reflecting on his advocacy efforts on Mental Health Mondays, Presley previously said, "I've seen a lot of stuff and I've learned a lot of things. What I hope I can do is have made the mistakes for some other people, so they don't have to make the same mistakes that I made."
