Cindy Crawford has spoken out for the first time about the recent death of her son, Presley Gerber, at the age of 27. In a post on her Instagram account, the legendary 60-year-old supermodel shared a statement that was also signed by her husband, Rande Gerber, and her daughter, Kaia Gerber, who has followed in her footsteps on the runways.
«We are heartbroken at the loss of our dear son and brother,» wrote Cindy Crawford to her 8.2 million followers on this social network along with a black-and-white photo of the young man. «We feel so fortunate to have had Presley in our lives for 27 years. He was a sweet and beautiful soul who loved and was loved, now and always».
«We are very proud of how he presented himself to the world, with kindness and vulnerability. We are grateful for the flood of love and support from so many people who know and love our family, and even from strangers who share our pain,» the model and actress continued in the statement, which concluded: »Until we meet again, our sweet child. We will love you forever, Mom, Dad and Kaia«.
Presley Gerber, the only son of Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber—co-founder of the Casamigos tequila brand with George Clooney—, died on September 20 in a rehabilitation center, according to Los Angeles County medical examiner records. Subsequently, the Santa Monica Police Department said Presley Gerber’s death was being investigated as a “suspected overdose” and that there were no “indications of criminal activity”.
Kaia’s Farewell
Kaia Gerber, Presley’s younger sister, shared her own tribute in an emotional Instagram post alongside her mother. In a carousel that also included a video of the siblings dancing as children, she posted a message addressed directly to her brother. «Sabes lo mucho que me encantaba ser tu hermana», escribió. «Siempre ha sido, y siempre será, lo que más me gusta de mí misma. Llegué a este mundo agarrándome a ti con todas mis fuerzas. Tenía tanto amor por ti que no sabía qué hacer con él. Y ahora que no tiene ningún destino claro al que dirigirse, estoy segura de que me va a devorar por completo«.
Presley and Kaia Gerber.
Gerber continued saying that her brother was her «ultimate teacher» and that «now I keep asking myself what I could learn» in his absence. «Saying that loving you was the easiest thing in the world would imply that it required some kind of effort», she stated. «I was born loving you. I will die loving you. There was never anything more», the model added emotionally.
And she ended her letter saying: «My dear brother, I truly adore you. I love my brother. My brother has died. And this party is a real drag without you, Prez. My best friend, my great protector, the one who has made me laugh the most and the only true love of my life: you have lit all my candles and driven away all my monsters. And I love you. And I love you. And I love you. Only you know how much. Thank you for being here».
Presley Gerber and Mental Health
Like his mother and sister, Presley Gerber worked in the fashion world with brands such as Dolce & Gabbana and Calvin Klein. He signed his first contract with IMG Models at the age of 15. In recent years, the young man had spoken openly about his mental health problems and his drug use, and he used to post videos on Instagram as part of what he called his “Mental Health Mondays”.
The image of Presley Gerber shared by his mother in her farewell post.
The son of Cindy Crawford was sentenced to three years of probation for a driving under the influence charge in 2018. In an interview on the Studio 22 podcast in 2023, he admitted that he had “struggled with mental health problems, depression and other things that come with it.” And in his last public appearance before his death, he took part in a roundtable on mental health, where he stated that “I felt freer when I finally was honest with myself.”
In a Vogue cover story published in August, Kaia Gerber addressed the situation saying that “when something like this happens in a family, in a sense it affects us all equally.” And the model added: “I think that is also why I started identifying myself as the one who didn’t cause problems and never wanted to ask for help. Because it seemed too much to have two children who needed her.”
