Kaia Gerber opened up about her brother Presley Gerber’s addiction just weeks before he passed away at the age of 27, expressing how proud she was of him for being so open. Presley, the eldest child of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber, died on Sunday, September 20, at a rehabilitation facility, according to records from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. A cause of death has not been determined at the time of writing. His death was later confirmed by the family’s representative, Allie Jenkins, who said in a statement to CBS: “The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time.” Presley, who was a model, had been open about his struggles with addiction. In 2024, he revealed he had battled a severe opiate addiction for several years and had previously suffered a near-fatal fentanyl overdose which left him in a coma for days. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Presley Gerber (@presleygerber) He also advocated for mental health, sharing candid “Mental Health Mondays” videos on his Instagram to help others. In March 2026, Presley shared that he had undergone an ibogaine “flood dose” in Mexico as part of his addiction treatment. Ibogaine, which is legal in some countries but not the US, is a psychedelic substance that has been investigated as a potential treatment for addiction. Following this, Presley said he had started “finding my way back to myself” and hoped it would be the last time he needed to return. Kaia showed her support in the comments, writing, “That’s my brother I am so damn proud.” Kaia Gerber spoke candidly about Presley Gerber’s addiction Just weeks before Presley’s death, while on the press run for The Shards, Kaia spoke candidly about her brother’s decade-long struggle with addiction and the impact it had on their family. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kaia (@kaiagerber) Speaking to Vogue for its September issue, the actress said, “When something like that happens in a family, it kind of levels everyone. 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.” After the outlet acknowledged Presley continuing to share his recovery journey online, Kaia said she’s very proud of him. “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,’” she explained. “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.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Presley Gerber (@presleygerber) Kaia continued to publicly celebrate her older brother, sharing a sweet tribute for his 26th birthday last July. “Happy birthday to my best friend and forever party. Thanks for everything you’ve taught me Presley Gerber,” she wrote, while posting a series of childhood photos of them together. The following September, Presley celebrated his sister’s birthday with a video of them as kids, writing, “Happy birthday Kaia Gerber! Big 24 this year, I love you so much.” Featured image credit: Virisa Yong/BFA.com/Shutterstock Post navigation Next storyPrevious story
