Model Presley Walker Gerber, the son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber, has died at the age of 27.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner revealed that Presley died on Sunday (Sept. 20) at an unspecified rehab facility, with an autopsy set to be performed soon to determine the cause of death. As reported by TMZ, a representative for Presley’s family confirmed his death.
“The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time,” the representative added.
Presley began his career as a model at an early age. He signed to IMG Models when he was just 15, and walked runways for the likes of Moschino and Dolce & Gabbana. He also starred in campaigns with several brands, including Calvin Klein and Celine, among others.
Throughout his career, he was open about his struggles with substance abuse. He was charged with driving under the influence in 2019, for which he received three years of probation. In an appearance on the Studio 22 podcast in 2023, per the BBC, he said that he struggled with depression and various other mental health issues. The following year, he hosted a series of videos on Instagram entitled Mental Health Mondays, opening up further about his experiences with addiction and depression.
His younger sister, actress and model Kaia Gerber, spoke about his struggles with drug addiction in an interview with Vogue as recently as last month.
“When something like that happens in a family, it kind of levels everyone,” she said. “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.”
She added that she was very proud of her brother for being open about his struggles, especially considering their parents are “very private” people.
“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. And trying to put a lid on something just makes the person feel like you’re ashamed of them.”
RIP.
