Skip to main content
OPENING UP

Cindy Crawford’s Daughter Revealed Brother’s Struggles Weeks Before His Death

Her brother’s issues profoundly affected the actress and model.

Kaia Gerber and Presley Gerber.

Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty Images

Supermodel Cindy Crawford’s daughter spoke out about her brother’s addiction issues in the weeks before he died.

Presley Gerber died at the age of 27 from an unspecified cause on Sunday in a California rehab facility, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner revealed in a filing.

In an interview with Vogue in August, his sister, Kaia Gerber, spoke about the lessons she had learned from her model brother and his 10-year struggle with drug addiction.

Kaia Gerber and Presley Gerber attend the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs basketball game at Crypto.com Arena on February 23, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Kaia Gerber and Presley Gerber attend the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs basketball game at Crypto.com Arena on February 23, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Play Video

“When something like that happens in a family, it kind of levels everyone,” she said. “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.”

“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.’ 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.”

“The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time,” Allie Jenkins, a spokesperson for Crawford and her husband Rande Gerber, said in a statement to CBS.

Presley Walker Gerber attends the World Premiere of "Infinite Icon: A Visual Memoir" at AMC The Grove 14 on January 20, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.

Presley Walker Gerber attends the World Premiere of "Infinite Icon: A Visual Memoir" at AMC The Grove 14 on January 20, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Speaking on the Studio 22 podcast in 2023, Presley Gerber had opened up about his personal battle.

“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,” he said.

Presley Gerber, Kaia Gerber, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber at RE/DONE x Kaia Gerber 'Short/Cuts' Launch Event on May 20, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.

Presley Gerber, Kaia Gerber, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber at RE/DONE x Kaia Gerber 'Short/Cuts' Launch Event on May 20, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.

Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty Images

Elsewhere in the Vogue interview, Kaia gave a little more insight into her life growing up in California with Presley.

“Unfortunately, all the things that people assume are true,” she said. “I was in the ocean every day. My brother would go surfing and then walk up to school in his wetsuit with his surfboard, barefoot. You’re with the same kids from preschool to when you graduate. There were no Ubers there, so your parents were driving you to parties and then picking you up. There was only so much trouble you could get into.”

For his part, Presley previously opened up about his relationship with his sister.

Supermodel Cindy Crawford poses with her daughter Kaia Gerber, and son Presley Gerber in 2015.

Supermodel Cindy Crawford poses with her daughter Kaia Gerber, and son Presley Gerber in 2015.

Anthony Kwan/Getty

“We’re a close family, especially me and my sister, so it’s definitely cool,” he told People in 2018. “We get to travel together half of the time, so it makes it a lot less lonely.”

Obsessed with pop culture and entertainment? Follow us on Substack and YouTube for even more coverage.

Sign in or create an account

Login dialog

Loading comments…

TRENDING NOW