Updated Sept. 21, 2026, 12:43 p.m. ET
Presley Gerber, the only son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and Casamigos cofounder Rande Gerber, has died. He was 27.
Presley Gerber – who followed in his mother’s modeling footsteps as a teenager – died on Sunday, Sept. 20, at a rehab facility, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner records. TMZ was the first outlet to report the news.
Crawford’s publicist confirmed his death to USA TODAY, providing the following statement: “The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time.”
An autopsy is pending completion, according to TMZ. The cause and manner of death have not been released to the public.
Who was Presley Gerber?
Born in Beverly Hills, California, in 1999, Presley Gerber was the older brother of Kaia Gerber, the model and actress. He grew up in a high-profile entertainment and fashion family before building his own career as a runway star.
He signed with IMG Models at age 15 and entered the fashion world alongside his sister. He made his runway debut for Moschino in Los Angeles at 17 and later walked for major houses like Dolce & Gabbana. He also appeared in international campaigns for Calvin Klein and Celine.
As his public profile grew, he also became increasingly transparent about the personal challenges he was navigating.
Presley Gerber’s face tattoo made headlines in 2020
In December 2018, he’d been arrested and charged with a DUI in Beverly Hills and later pleaded no contest. He was sentenced to three years’ probation and had to complete a DUI program and two days’ community service. The following year, the rising model’s career slowed as he began focusing on himself amid intense public scrutiny.
He shocked fans in 2020 when he unveiled a new face tattoo that read “MISUNDERSTOOD.”
“If I thought this was going to ruin my face or I didn’t want this, I wouldn’t have done it. I think that’s a pretty obvious thing,” he explained to viewers in an Instagram video, Page Six reported. “It says misunderstood, because that’s how I felt my entire life.”
He apparently removed the ink work a year later.
Presley Gerber talks struggles with mental health, depression
In a February 2023 appearance on the Studio 22 podcast, Presley Gerber spoke about his personal battles, calling mental health a “big part” of his life and a “24/7 job.”
“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.
Presley Gerber hoped to use his experience to help others facing their own difficulties: “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 later used social media to discuss mental health awareness and recovery in a video series called “Mental Health Mondays.”
Presley Gerber revealed in a since-deleted December 2025 video that he had to take various depressant medications – Buprenorphine, Xanax and valium – to manage his mental health symptoms and treat panic attacks.
“The doctors say a lot of different things, so it’s kind of scary, but hopefully between my research and their research … and God, we can figure this out,” he said of his medication regimen at the time, according to People magazine. “The things that scare me are the things you need to take … if you don’t take them, something not good happens. And there’s a spectrum there on how intense the withdrawal from certain medications is.”
In a March 26 Instagram post, Gerber wrote that he had undergone an ibogaine (a plant-based psychoactive compound) “flood dose,” describing the experience as frightening but saying he had confronted what he had been “running from” and was finding his way back to himself.
Kaia Gerber on brother Presley Gerber’s ‘decade-long struggle with drug addiction’
The “Shards” actress also spoke about her brother’s “decade-long struggle with drug addiction” in a Vogue cover story published in August.
“When something like that happens in a family, it kind of levels everyone,” she told the publication. “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 her parents largely kept their family life private, while her brother had chosen to be more candid about his experiences: “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.”
Presley Gerber is survived by his mother, Cindy Crawford; his father, Rande Gerber; and sister Kaia Gerber.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental and/or substance use disorders, you can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s free and confidential treatment referral and information service at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). It’s available 24/7 in English and Spanish (TTY: 1-800-487-4889).
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