Presley Gerber, the only son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber, has died at the age of 27 after being found unresponsive at a rehabilitation facility in Santa Monica, California.
Santa Monica police said officers responded to a report of a possible overdose in the 1000 block of Berkeley Street at approximately 9:35 a.m. on Sunday, September 20. Officers arrived and found Gerber deceased at the facility.
Police detectives are investigating the death as a suspected overdose. Authorities said there were no indications of foul play. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner will make the final determination regarding the official cause and manner of death. An autopsy has been performed, but investigators are awaiting additional testing before releasing their findings.
People Magazine reported, “Dispatch calls made to Santa Monica police indicate that Presley Gerber suffered from an apparent overdose and went into cardiac arrest on Sunday, Sept. 20.”
This one hits home because when I was 16, I overdosed and almost died before being hospitalized.
Gerber had reportedly entered the rehabilitation facility shortly before his death. Emergency dispatch recordings referenced both an overdose and cardiac arrest, according to media reports. However, the particular substance or combination of substances that may have been involved has not been publicly identified. Until toxicology testing is completed, reports that he died of an overdose remain preliminary rather than an official medical conclusion.
A representative for Crawford and her husband confirmed their son’s death and said the family was asking for privacy during an extraordinarily difficult and painful time.
Gerber was the oldest of Crawford and Rande Gerber’s two children. His younger sister, Kaia Gerber, followed their mother into the fashion industry and has built a successful career as a model and actress.
Presley also began modeling as a teenager. He signed with IMG Models at approximately 15 years old and made his runway debut in 2016. He later appeared in campaigns and fashion shows for internationally recognized brands, including Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, Moschino, Celine and Tommy Hilfiger.
In 2018, Gerber appeared alongside his mother in a Pepsi commercial broadcast during Super Bowl LII. The advertisement revisited Crawford’s famous 1992 Pepsi commercial and presented the mother and son together before one of television’s largest audiences.
Behind the successful modeling career and famous family name, however, Gerber experienced serious personal struggles.
How I overcame drugs, a gang, and the streets.
He had spoken publicly about depression, panic attacks, mental-health treatment, dependency on prescription medications and his efforts to recover. In 2023, Gerber described maintaining his mental health as a constant responsibility and expressed hope that discussing his difficulties could help other people feel less alone.
He recently wrote about being terrified about being in rehab. In the video he posted on Instagram, it looks like a rehab worker is performing an East-Asian religious ceremony on him with incense.
Looks like the rehab that Cindy Crawford’s son, Presley Gerber, went to was doing some weird East Asian religious ceremonies on him with incense, plus an ibogaine psychedelic treatment. No WONDER he didn't make it. RIP, man. pic.twitter.com/8z22hqPb23
— Jeff Rainforth (@liberty_clarion) September 21, 2026
Gerber later created a social-media series called “Mental Health Mondays.” He explained that he wanted to encourage honest conversations about the problems people often conceal from others. His posts discussed treatment, medication and the challenge of finding supportive people while attempting to rebuild his life.
In a since-deleted social-media post from December 2025, Gerber reportedly discussed taking several depressant medications for panic attacks and expressed concerns about lacking a clear direction in his medical care. He said he wanted help gradually reducing his dependence on certain medications rather than simply continuing to receive them. He also spoke about searching for a healthy community and people who could become positive influences in his life.
His struggle also affected those closest to him.
In an interview published shortly before his death, Kaia Gerber spoke about her brother’s decade-long battle with drug addiction and the impact it had on their family. She said the experience affected everyone and influenced her own behavior as the younger child. Kaia also expressed pride in her brother for openly acknowledging his struggles and attempting to help others through his story.
Happy Easter, everyone! Here's my testimony. When I was 16, I was bleeding to death from an overdose. A few things happened before that, though.
When I was 5, I asked Jesus to come into my heart. I remember it vividly.
Fast-forward 11 years. When I was 16, I was bleeding to… pic.twitter.com/jqMSZgE46H
— Jeff Rainforth (@liberty_clarion) April 6, 2026
Gerber had encountered legal trouble years earlier. In 2019, he was arrested for driving under the influence in California. He was later sentenced to three years of probation, ordered to complete a DUI program and required to perform community service.
In more recent years, Gerber stepped away from some aspects of his modeling career while concentrating on his mental health and recovery. His willingness to discuss addiction publicly separated him from the carefully managed image commonly associated with celebrity families and the fashion industry.
His death at a rehabilitation facility is especially tragic because he had apparently reached a point where he recognized that he needed help and was seeking treatment. It also demonstrates the unpredictable and frequently fatal nature of substance dependency. Entering treatment can be a vital step toward recovery, but people may remain physically and emotionally vulnerable during that process.
Gerber’s death adds another young name to the long list of people from the entertainment and fashion industries whose lives have been affected by addiction, mental illness and substance-related crises. Fame, money and access to elite treatment do not provide immunity from dependency. In some cases, public scrutiny, professional pressure and the expectations created by a famous family name can make an already difficult battle even more complicated.
Crawford had publicly expressed pride in her son. In a social-media post shared in July, she published a childhood photograph of Presley and wrote that although she was proud of the man he had become, she would always remember him as her little boy.
Presley Gerber is survived by his mother, Cindy Crawford; his father, Rande Gerber; and his sister, Kaia Gerber.
Authorities have not announced when the toxicology findings or final medical examiner’s report will be completed. Until that process concludes, the most precise description is that Gerber died at a rehabilitation facility and that police are investigating his death as a suspected overdose.
His death leaves a grieving family behind and cuts short the life of a young man who had begun using his public platform to speak honestly about addiction, medication and mental health.
For anyone struggling with substance use or mental distress, help is available through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). Anyone experiencing an immediate mental-health crisis can call or text 988.
How I overcame drugs, a gang, and the streets.