Nearly four weeks after the 27-year-old model died at a Santa Monica rehabilitation facility, his parents and younger sister remembered his kindness and gentle spirit while medical examiners await final toxicology results.
LOS ANGELES - Supermodel Cindy Crawford, entrepreneur Rande Gerber, and actress Kaia Gerber issued their first public statements Sunday mourning the death of 27-year-old model Presley Gerber. Shared on Instagram nearly four weeks after he died at a California treatment facility on September 20, the coordinated family tributes remembered the elder Gerber sibling for his gentle disposition, lifelong loyalty, and unguarded kindness.
Crawford, 60, published a formal remembrance signed jointly by herself, her 64-year-old husband Rande Gerber, and their 25-year-old daughter Kaia. Opening with her son's full name, Presley Walker Gerber, alongside his birth date of July 2, 1999, and death date of September 20, 2026, the veteran model reflected on the family's grief.
"We are beyond heartbroken to lose our beloved son and brother," the family wrote "We feel so blessed to have had Presley in our lives for 27 years. He is a sweet, beautiful soul who loved and is loved, now and forever. We are so proud of how he showed up in the world, with kindness and vulnerability."
The statement also thanked friends, relatives, and members of the public who extended condolences over the past month, noting the family felt grateful for the outpouring of support from loved ones and even strangers sharing their pain before signing off from Mom, Dad, and Kaia.
Shortly after her mother's post appeared, Kaia Gerber shared archival home video footage of the two siblings as young children, captioning the clip that she loved her big brother to the moon and back. In an accompanying open letter addressed directly to her brother under his family nickname, Prez, she wrote that language could never transcend the magnitude of her grief and described being his sister as her favorite quality about herself.
"You believed, always believed, in people," Kaia wrote, noting that her brother met cruelty with curiosity rather than anger because he remained inherently good. She praised him for maintaining a tender heart despite personal struggles, calling his ability to stay soft the most courageous achievement anyone could accomplish.
Recalling a childhood memory when Presley volunteered to have his ears pierced ahead of her because she was frightened, Kaia reflected on holding the earring returned from his body and wishing he had not gone first this time. She also recalled a recent entry where he wrote of animals fleeing fire into a lake. She added that she is now learning how to love him without picking up her phone to call him. Referencing a famous letter written by physicist Richard Feynman to his late spouse, she wrote that she would willingly accept the pain of bereavement all over again if it meant getting to be his sister, calling him her best buddy, great protector, and true love of her life.
Born to Crawford and Casamigos co-founder Rande Gerber a year after their 1998 marriage, Presley Gerber entered the fashion industry at age 15 and made his runway debut at 16. Over the ensuing decade, he walked and campaigned for major luxury labels including Dolce and Gabbana, Ralph Lauren, Burberry, and Tommy Hilfiger, and starred alongside his mother in a 2018 Super Bowl commercial for Pepsi.
According to a statement issued September 21 by the Santa Monica Police Department, officers responding to an emergency dispatch call on September 20 discovered Gerber dead on arrival at a rehabilitation facility in Santa Monica following a reported cardiac arrest. Detectives stated they were investigating the death as a suspected overdose and noted there were no signs of foul play.
The County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner completed an autopsy shortly afterward but placed the official cause and manner of death on deferred status pending additional testing, noting that deferred cases can take several months before a final determination is reached.
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