Presley Gerber, the 27-year-old son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber, died Sept. 20 while staying at a rehabilitation facility, according to records from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. His cause of death has not been released.
A representative for the family told Fox News Digital, “The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time.”
A source told People magazine that the family was reeling from the loss. “The family is in total shock right now. They are saddened beyond words,” the source said. “Kaia [Gerber] loved that Presley was so open about his struggles; his family was so proud that he was finding strength in helping others.”
A Los Angeles family with deep roots in fashion and business
Presley was born in Beverly Hills in 1999, the same year Crawford and Gerber married. His sister, model and actress Kaia Gerber, was born in 2001. Crawford, one of fashion’s “Big Five” supermodels alongside Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington and Tatjana Patitz, built a career spanning magazine covers, advertising campaigns and, later, beauty and wellness businesses.
Rande Gerber founded the Gerber Group, which runs bars, lounges and restaurants in hotels and entertainment venues worldwide, and later co-founded Casamigos tequila with actor George Clooney and developer Mike Meldman. That partnership also linked the two families personally — Crawford and Gerber built a home next to Clooney’s property in Los Cabos, Mexico, and later bought an apartment in the same New York City building as George and Amal Clooney, according to the New York Post.
A modeling career alongside his sister
Presley signed with IMG Models at 15 and walked runway shows for Moschino and Dolce & Gabbana, and appeared in campaigns for Calvin Klein. He worked alongside Kaia, who signed with the same agency as her mother and brother and went on to build her own modeling and acting career, with credits including “American Horror Story,” “Bottoms” and “The Shards.”
In 2018, Presley told People magazine that having his sister in the industry made modeling “a lot less lonely.”
Open about mental health and addiction
Presley spoke publicly about his struggles with mental health and addiction, and his parents supported him when he chose to share those experiences, even as they generally kept the family’s private life out of the spotlight.
In March, Presley posted about undergoing an “ibogaine flood dose” at a wellness clinic in Cancún, Mexico. Crawford commented on the post: “You are a warrior! Walked thru the fire to find yourself! So proud!” Rande Gerber wrote, “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.”
A source told Page Six the family’s public support was genuine. “They were so close,” the source said. “What you saw online and in the press wasn’t just for that purpose. They were a tight-knit family and Kaia and Presley were more than just siblings. Cindy has to be beyond gutted.”
In a Vogue cover story published in August, about a month before his death, Kaia praised her brother for his openness. “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.” She also said addiction “kind of levels everyone” in a family.
A source told People magazine that Crawford and Gerber were never “two absent Hollywood parents.” “Cindy and Rande could not have been more supportive of Presley,” the source said. “They were always there for him and did everything they could to help him. The family has always been incredibly close, and Presley was deeply loved.”
A family that kept much private
In a recent interview with Porter magazine, Crawford discussed adjusting to life as an empty nester and hoped to one day become a grandmother, saying it “looks really fun.” She also spoke about the bond between her two children: “Nothing makes, I think, a parent prouder than when your kids like each other and love each other.”
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