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Kaia Gerber made heartbreaking admission about brother Presley just weeks before his death at 27
Kaia Gerber shared a heartbreaking statement about her brother Presley Gerber’s struggle with substance abuse just weeks before his death at the age of 27.
The son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman and Casamigos co-founder Rande Gerber died on Sunday (September 20) at a rehab facility.
"The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time," Cindy, Rande, and Kaia said in a statement.
Last month, Kaia reflected on what Vogue described in its September 2026 issue as Presley’s "decade-long struggle with drug addiction" and explained how his difficulties affected the whole family.
"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."
The Shards actress also said Presley’s willingness to discuss his experiences publicly changed how the family approached tough subjects.
"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.' There’s only so much you can hide from the world," she said.
"And trying to put a lid on something just makes the person feel like you’re ashamed of them."
Presley was open about addiction and mental health
Presley followed his mother into modeling and signed with IMG Models when he was just 15.
He made his runway debut in a Moschino show in Los Angeles before appearing in a Dolce & Gabbana show in Milan and a Calvin Klein campaign.
Presley told W magazine in 2016 that his main concern during his early runway appearances was simply: "Don’t fall."
"That’s all. I was like, 'Please don’t trip, just make it to the end'... I get sidetracked really easily, so if I just think about what I’m doing, then I can do it better," he added.
By the age of 17, both Presley and Kaia were receiving attention for their modeling careers.
Presley later shared in 2018 that working alongside his sister made the profession "a lot less lonely".
Although he had earned good grades in high school, he said he decided against attending college after his modeling career took off.
"I wanted to go for a minute, and then I just started working. And now I’m having so much fun, it’s like: Don’t fix it if it’s not broken," he said.
His life later became marked by struggles with substance abuse and mental health.
At the age of 19, Presley was arrested for DUI after being pulled over for speeding in Beverly Hills. In July 2019, he pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charge and was sentenced to three years of probation, community service, and a DUI program, per Page Six.
The next year, he was photographed completing court-ordered requirements at a drug-testing facility connected to the case.
In 2020, Presley also got the word "MISUNDERSTOOD" tattooed on his face, although he appeared to have had it removed the following year.
In 2024, he revealed that he had experienced a severe, multi-year opiate addiction and a near-fatal fentanyl overdose that left him in a coma for several days.
He later entered rehab and underwent treatment involving the psychedelic ibogaine.
Presley used his platform to discuss what he had experienced and his hope that doing so could help others.
"Having struggled with mental health, depression, and some other things that come along with that, I think that 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 on the Studio 22 podcast.
"[Mental health] is an issue. It is such a big part of my life. It’s a 24/7 job, and there’s so much to it," Presley continued. "That’s really what I want to do: help people, whether you’re depressed, you’re struggling with something that is having a negative effect on your body. I mean it could be anything, and there’s no judgment."
He added: "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."
The late model shared a video series called "Mental Health Mondays" on Instagram, where he spoke about his recovery and finding common ground with other people.
Presley is survived by Kaia and his parents, Cindy and Rande.