Presley Gerber, son of supermodel Cindy Crawford, dies at 27

Presley Gerber, the eldest son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and hospitality entrepreneur Rande Gerber, died on Sunday, September 20, at a rehabilitation facility in Los Angeles. He was 27. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed the death, though an autopsy has not yet been completed. Through their representative, the Crawford-Gerber family requested privacy as they navigate what they described as an extraordinarily difficult time.

Presley followed his mother and younger sister Kaia into modeling. Signed to IMG Models at 15, he moved quickly through the industry's ranks—making his runway debut at 17 in a Moschino show in Los Angeles, traveling to Milan for Dolce & Gabbana, and appearing in campaigns for Calvin Klein. But the visibility that came with his family name and his own early success existed alongside struggles he would later speak about openly: depression, mental health challenges, and substance abuse.

In December 2019, he was charged with driving under the influence. The following year, he had a tattoo applied to his face reading "MISUNDERSTOOD," which he appeared to have removed a year later. These visible markers of turbulence gave way, over time, to a more direct reckoning with what he was facing. On the Studio 22 podcast, he reflected on his mental health battles with a clarity that suggested hard-won perspective. "Whether I help one person or a hundred people get out of that place that I was in at one point in my life, that's all I need to do," he said.

By March 2026, Presley was undergoing ibogaine treatment, a medical intervention used in specialized programs to address opioid and other substance use disorders. He documented the moment before his treatment began on social media, writing about his terror at what lay ahead and his determination not to return to the patterns that had brought him there. "I faced what I had been running from, and somewhere in all of it, i started finding my way back to myself," he wrote, adding that he was "praying it's the last time I have to come back."

His family responded to that post with unguarded support. His mother wrote in the comments: "You are a warrior! Walked thru the fire to find yourself! So proud!" His sister Kaia, herself a model and someone who had publicly discussed the weight of witnessing a family member's addiction, commented: "That's my brother I am so damn proud." His father added: "I'm so proud of you and your courage. Facing what's hard takes real strength and watching you find your way back to yourself is everything. I love you so much."

Kaia had spoken candidly about what it meant to be part of a family navigating addiction. In an interview with Vogue, she described how such struggles reshape family dynamics. "When something like that happens in a family, it kind of levels everyone," she said. She acknowledged that witnessing her brother's battle had shaped her own reluctance to ask for help, fearing it would compound the family's burden. "I think that's also why I started to self-identify as the easy one and never wanted to ask for help. Because it felt like too much to have two children who were needing."

Presley's death comes six months after he shared that moment of hope and determination before his treatment. The specific circumstances remain under investigation, with the medical examiner's autopsy still pending. What is clear is that a young man who had begun to speak openly about his struggles, who had family support visible and vocal, and who appeared to be engaged in serious treatment, is gone at 27.