Cindy Crawford's Son Passes Unexpectedly at 27

Presley Gerber, the 27-year-old model and son of supermodel Cindy Crawford, died Sunday morning in Southern California, and Santa Monica police said they are investigating the death as a suspected overdose.

Officers responded to a report of a possible overdose around 9:35 a.m. and found a deceased male, the department said. "SMPD detectives are investigating the death as a suspected overdose," the police statement said. "At this time, there is no indication of foul play."

The official cause and manner of death will be determined by the Los Angeles County medical examiner's office, police said, and the investigation remains ongoing. Online records from the medical examiner stated that Gerber died at a rehab facility.

The medical examiner's timeline

The Los Angeles County medical examiner said in a statement that death was pronounced at 09:45 hours on September 20, 2026, by responding paramedics, and that the Santa Monica Police Department is the investigating law enforcement agency.

"The investigation is still ongoing and there is limited information available," the medical examiner's statement said. No autopsy had been completed when the death was first reported. The examination was carried out on Monday, and the cause and manner of death were deferred pending further testing.

A representative for Crawford, her husband Rande Gerber and their daughter Kaia Gerber confirmed the death to TMZ, which first reported it. "The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time," the representative said.

Signed to IMG at 15, on a runway at 16

Presley Walker Gerber was born July 2, 1999, in Greater Los Angeles, the elder child of Crawford and Rande Gerber, a businessman. The couple married in 1998. He graduated from Malibu High School in 2017.

He signed with IMG Models at 15 and made his runway debut for Moschino at 16. He walked for Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Bottega Veneta, Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren, and worked on campaigns for Calvin Klein, Celine and Omega.

At 18, he appeared alongside his mother in a 2018 Pepsi ad that recreated her 1992 Super Bowl commercial, the spot that made Crawford a household name well beyond fashion. His younger sister, Kaia, is also a professional model, and the two both appeared in campaigns for Dolce & Gabbana and Calvin Klein.

The siblings have talked publicly about their mother staying out of their careers. "She has never lived vicariously through us," Kaia Gerber said in a family interview with "TODAY" in May 2025. "You are so not a stage mom," she added.

Mental Health Mondays

Gerber posted online frequently about depression and addiction. He started a recurring Instagram series called "Mental Health Mondays", where he talked with followers in plain language about what he was going through. He said he hoped to "spark real conversations about the stuff most people hide."

In November 2025, he wrote that he "had to step back and take care of my own mental health for a bit."

He had been talking about it publicly for years before that. On the Studio 22 podcast in 2023, he said: "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."

In the same interview he described the work as constant. He called mental health a 24/7 job and said what he wanted to do was help people, without judgment, whatever they were dealing with. He also said he hoped the mistakes he made could spare someone else from making the same ones.

A December video, and his mother's reply

In a series of Instagram posts in December 2025, Gerber filmed himself listing the medications he had been prescribed, including one milligram of buprenorphine twice a day, Valium in the morning and Xanax for panic attacks. "I feel like honesty is the best policy," he said in the video.

He told followers he had experienced a lot of loss in many different forms recently, and said that was not an excuse but the reason he was where he was. He said he hoped the video reached people so they would feel less alone, because alone was how he felt most of the time.

Crawford responded publicly under the post, telling her son he was loved and that he was not alone.

Cancun in March, Malibu in June

In March 2026, Gerber posted a video showing himself preparing for what he described as a pre-ibogaine flood dose in Cancun, Mexico. He talked about the trip publicly as part of his effort to address his addiction.

Three months later, in June 2026, he took part in a mental-health event in Malibu. He spoke there about a turning point at age 23 and about the pressure of growing up in public, and said being open about what he had been through left him feeling more free.

He also worked with A Sense of Home, a Los Angeles charity that creates first homes for young people aging out of foster care. He supported the group through a clothing collaboration as well.

What his sister told Vogue in August

Kaia Gerber discussed her brother's struggles with addiction in an interview with Vogue published on August 11, weeks before his death.

"When something like that happens in a family, it kind of levels everyone," she told the magazine. "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 credited him for going public. "My parents for most of our lives were very, very private and didn't share anything," she said, "and now we have this absolute teacher, my brother, who says, 'I'm gonna be very human for everyone.' 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."

She also described the Malibu childhood the two of them shared, with her brother surfing before school and walking up to class in his wetsuit, barefoot, surfboard in hand, in a town with no Ubers where parents drove everyone to parties.

The 2019 DUI case

Gerber was arrested and charged with driving under the influence in January 2019. Later that year he was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to complete a DUI program and two days of community service.

He spoke candidly about treatment after that case, and it became one of the reference points he returned to when he talked about recovery years later.

In 2020, he had the word MISUNDERSTOOD tattooed across his cheekbone. Comment sections had a field day. He had it removed about a year later. His other tattoos included barbed wire on one hand and his sister's name on his arm; she has a tribute to him on her shoulder.

Tributes from Paris Hilton and Brooklyn Peltz Beckham

Paris Hilton wrote on an Instagram Story that she was "completely heartbroken" and that she still could not believe it was real. She said Gerber had "a beautiful soul" and was "so sweet, sensitive, kind and genuine."

"I cared about you so much, and I'm going to miss you more than words can say," Hilton wrote. She said he had a gentle heart and that anyone lucky enough to know him could feel it, and she hoped he knew how deeply loved he was.

Brooklyn Peltz Beckham posted an Instagram Story of his own. "Presley you were the kindest and we are going to miss you so much x we love you," Beckham wrote.

Jason Kennedy said in an Instagram post that the news made him feel sick to his stomach and remembered Gerber as someone with a huge heart. "He was always open about his struggles because he knew it would help others and IT DID. I always felt a close bond with you Presley, I wish we got to spend more time together," Kennedy wrote alongside a video of Gerber discussing his mental health.

"Watching your parents love you the way they did was beautiful, I'm heartbroken for them and your whole family," Kennedy continued. "You are at peace in Gods arms and I pray that same peace will cover all those who loved you. You were special."

A birthday post in July

Two months before his death, Crawford marked his 27th birthday by posting two photographs of him, one as a child and one as a young teenager.

"I'm so proud of the man you've become, but I'll always see you as my little boy! Love you," she wrote.

Gerber had worked in fashion since 2015. He had also talked in 2023 about pursuing a real estate license and building a business of his own centered on mental health and community.

Police said the investigation remains open. The cause and manner of death will come from the medical examiner's office.

Anyone struggling or in emotional distress can call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. SAMHSA's national helpline, 1-800-662-4357, offers free, confidential treatment referral and information around the clock.