A Look Inside Presley And Kaia Gerber's Deep Sibling Bond Before His Untimely Death

The following article contains mentions of addiction and mental health issues.

Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber had two children: Presley Gerber and Kaia Gerber. Presley dealt with a number of tragic events, including struggles with mental health and addiction, and he died on September 20, 2026, at the age of 27. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner records noted that he died at a "rehabilitation facility," and police think that he likely died of an overdose, according to E! News.

Someone representing Presley's family released a statement about his unexpected death, saying simply, "the family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time," per People. Our hearts go out to the entire family. Losing a child and a sibling can be devastating, especially when you're as close as Presley and his family were. He was particularly close with his little sister, who was two years younger.

"We're a close family, especially me and my sister," Presley told PeopleStyle in 2018. The two even have tattoos honoring each other. Presley had "Kaia XXIII," the Roman numerals for 23, on his bicep. It's not 100% clear what the Roman numerals mean, but our guess is that it's something to do with Kaia. For her part, Kaia has "Prez" on her right shoulder as well as 1999, his birth year, on her ankle.

While Cindy Crawford is the most famous model in the family — she was one of the original supermodels — Rande Gerber was also a model for a time. Both of their children followed in their footsteps, and Presley was able to work with Kaia on occasion. 

The siblings were in a spring 2018 Calvin Klein denim campaign together, and the whole family, Crawford and Rande included, were in a shoot for Vuori in 2025. Even though Kaia's the younger sibling, she started modeling before Presley and helped him understand the business. "I love working with him and every time we book a job together I get excited," Kaia told People in 2017. "At first when we were starting out, we used to shoot a lot together, and we would just be there for each other, which is important, especially just starting in such a scary industry — to have someone there that you're comfortable with."

Along with ad campaigns, both Presley and Kaia worked as runway models for fashion shows, which put them in the same place at the same time sometimes. That was something Presley enjoyed. As he told PeopleStyle in 2018, "we get to travel together half of the time, so it makes it a lot less lonely."

Presley Gerber had been open about his issues with mental health and addiction. He made a number of "Mental Health Monday" videos that he shared on Instagram where he discussed general theories as well as personal perspectives. It was something he knew was important. In a 2023 interview on the Studio 22 Podcast, Presley said, "Whether I help one person or a 100 people get out of that place that I was in at one point in my life, that's all I need to do." 

Kaia Gerber was supportive of Presley with all his struggles. She described how much she valued his transparency and honesty about what he was going through in an interview with Vogue that came out in September 2026. "My parents for most of our lives were very, very private and didn't share anything," Kaia 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." Though Crawford potentially kept private due to her own tragic experiences in life. 

On a post about getting an ibogaine dose, a plant-based psychoactive substance that can be used to treat addiction, Kaia commented, "that's my brother, I am so damn proud." Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber also commented in support of Presley.

Presley Gerber occasionally shared photos on Instagram of himself and Kaia Gerber as they were growing up, showing their lasting bond. In January 2026, he posted a pic of the two of them playing in the snow as kids, and captioned it, "the good old days." Then in June 2025, he posted one of them at the beach.

Presley also shared shout-outs to Kaia on big days, like her birthday. On his post for her birthday in 2025, he wrote, "Happy birthday @kaiagerber ! Big 24 this year :) I love you so much." He also shared a sweet home video of the two of them dancing together when they were kids. On his 2023 birthday post for Kaia, he wrote, "I couldn't be more proud of you. I love you more than anyone."

In the comments of Presley's last Instagram post for Kaia's birthday, there has been an outpouring of love and sympathy for the family over what happened to Presley and how it must be impacting Kaia. One person commented: "absolutely devastating. Their bond was clear to see, and I cannot imagine how the family are going to begin to keep going. So terribly sad." We agree.