Presley Gerber, the model son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber, has passed away at 27 on Monday. The cause of death has not been determined, but the county medical examiner said he died Sunday at a rehab in Los Angeles.
Gerber was more than just a name in a fashion dynasty. He signed with IMG Models at 15, walked for Moschino and Dolce & Gabbana, starred in campaigns for Calvin Klein and later leveraged his public profile to speak unusually openly about depression, addiction and recovery.
His family have requested privacy and described the moment as ‘very difficult and painful.” Gerber is survived by Crawford, his father Rande and younger sister Kaia Gerber, one of the best-known models and an actress of her generation.
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From Cindy Crawford’s son to the runway
Presley was born in California in 1999 and began modelling as a teenager. By 17, he and Kaia were both getting attention in fashion, though Presley got there first: He debuted at Moschino’s Resort show in Los Angeles before heading to Milan for Dolce & Gabbana.
He then worked with brands like Calvin Klein, Celine and Tommy Hilfiger. He also appeared with his mother in a new take on Pepsi’s commercial in 2018, a wink and a nod to Crawford’s legendary 1992 spot for the brand.
Gerber once described the nerves of modelling in the early days in staggeringly simple terms. «It was mostly, ‘Don’t fall,’» he told W in 2016 about walking a runway. «Working with his sister later made the industry feel ‘a lot less lonely,’ he told People.
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Life away from fashion
Gerber’s public image changed considerably as he entered his twenties.
Instead of letting paparazzi headlines cover his 2019 DUI arrest and probation, he began speaking out about mental health, depression, and substance use.
He called managing his mental health a “24/7 job» on the Studio 22 podcast in 2023 and hoped sharing his experiences would help others avoid his mistakes. His sister publicly discussed the family’s impact weeks before his death.
Kaia told Vogue earlier in September about her brother’s decade-long struggle with addiction and how his openness changed a family that had always kept its privacy.
