Cindy Crawford, Rande Gerber and their daughter Kaia Gerber are struggling to process the sudden death of Presley Gerber, with people close to the family describing them as being in “total shock” as they confront the loss of their 27-year-old son and brother.

Presley died on Sunday, September 20, while staying at a rehabilitation facility in Santa Monica, California.

His death came after years in which he had openly discussed addiction, depression, panic attacks and his repeated attempts to recover. But despite knowing how difficult his journey had been, those close to the Gerber family say his death was not something they were prepared for.

The loss has left the family devastated.

Presley’s parents had remained closely involved in his life and efforts to get better, while Kaia had recently spoken publicly about how deeply her brother’s struggles had shaped their entire family.

Now, those years of supporting him through recovery have been replaced by an entirely different reality: mourning him.

Family Had Continued to Stand Beside Presley

People familiar with the family say Cindy and Rande were consistently supportive of Presley throughout his struggles.

Although Presley became increasingly candid in public about addiction and mental health, his family largely handled the most difficult periods privately.

That did not mean they were distant from what he was experiencing.

On the contrary, those close to the family say his parents worked hard to help him and were deeply invested in his recovery.

The family had experienced periods of difficulty before, but Presley also had moments when he appeared hopeful about his future and determined to use what he had endured to help other people.

That combination may help explain why his death has been described as such a profound shock.

Even after years of challenges, there was still hope that Presley could continue moving forward.

Kaia Recently Spoke About Growing Up Beside His Struggle

Only weeks before Presley died, Kaia Gerber offered one of her most personal public reflections on what her brother’s addiction had meant for their family.

She explained that addiction rarely affects only one person.

Instead, it can reshape the emotional roles of everyone around that person.

Kaia described feeling, at times, as though she needed to become the child who required less attention because her brother needed so much support.

It was an unusually candid description of a dynamic the family had generally kept private.

But Kaia did not speak about Presley only through the lens of addiction.

She also praised his decision to become increasingly vulnerable in public.

She said her brother had taught her important lessons about honesty and openness by refusing to pretend everything was fine when it was not.

For Kaia, Presley’s willingness to expose the most difficult parts of himself eventually became something she admired.

That perspective now carries far greater emotional weight.

Presley Wanted His Experiences to Help Someone Else

Presley had gradually transformed the way he used his public platform.

Early in his career, most attention surrounding him focused on modeling.

He signed with a major agency while still a teenager and worked with internationally recognized fashion brands. He also appeared with his mother in a widely seen Super Bowl advertisement in 2018.

But as he grew older, his public conversations changed.

Presley began speaking directly about depression, substance use and the difficult process of recovery.

During a 2023 podcast appearance, he explained that helping even one person avoid the mistakes he had made would give meaning to sharing his story.

He later launched an online series centered on mental health, attempting to create conversations around issues that people often conceal.

For Presley, recovery appeared to become more than a private battle.

He wanted his experiences — including the painful ones — to have value for somebody else.

His Final Months Included Another Attempt at Recovery

Earlier this year, Presley publicly documented another significant step in his treatment.

In March, he revealed that he had undergone ibogaine treatment as part of an attempt to address his addiction.

Ibogaine is a psychoactive substance that has been studied for its potential effects on substance-use disorders, but it is not an approved medical treatment in the United States.

Presley described being terrified before the experience.

His message was striking because it did not portray recovery as easy or guaranteed.

Instead, he wrote about surrendering control, confronting what he had been avoiding and hoping he was finally finding his way back to himself.

He expressed one particularly powerful hope: that it would be the last time he needed to return to treatment.

Months later, Presley would die while staying at another rehabilitation facility.

One of His Final Public Appearances Came With His Parents

Despite what he was experiencing privately, Presley continued appearing publicly with his family during his final months.

In June, he attended a mental health-related event in Malibu alongside Cindy and Rande.

The appearance reflected a recurring theme during the later period of his life: Presley’s struggles were real, but so was his family’s presence around him.

People close to the Gerbers say Cindy and Rande remained supportive even when the situation became difficult.

Presley’s willingness to discuss his mental health also appeared increasingly aligned with a broader family effort to confront issues that had previously remained mostly private.

The June appearance would become one of his final public moments with his parents before his death.

His Death Came During Another Stay in Treatment

Presley died at a rehabilitation facility on September 20.

Santa Monica police said officers responded at approximately 9:35 a.m. to a report of a possible overdose in the 1000 block of Berkeley Street.

Officers found an adult male who was unresponsive.

Presley was pronounced dead by responding paramedics at 9:45 a.m.

Police have said they are investigating the death as a suspected overdose and that there is currently no indication of foul play.

However, a suspected overdose is not the same as an official medical determination.

The precise cause of Presley’s death has not yet been established.

Autopsy Completed, but Answers Could Take Months

A deputy medical examiner examined Presley on September 21.

Following that examination, officials deferred both the cause and manner of death.

A deferred finding means additional testing or studies are required before investigators can reach a final conclusion.

Officials have not disclosed what specific tests have been ordered because the investigation remains active.

The medical examiner has warned that cases requiring additional testing can take several months before a final cause of death is determined.

That means Presley’s family may face a prolonged period without complete answers about what happened during his final hours.

Cindy and Rande Face the Loss of Their Only Son

Presley was Cindy and Rande’s eldest child and their only son.

The couple, married since 1998, also shares Kaia.

Throughout their children’s lives, Cindy and Rande frequently spoke about trying to provide as normal an upbringing as possible despite the unusual level of public attention surrounding their family.

Both children eventually entered modeling, following in their mother’s professional footsteps.

But Presley’s path became more complicated as he moved through adulthood.

His struggles eventually became an important part of the family’s private life and, later, his public identity.

Now, after years spent hoping for his recovery, Cindy and Rande are confronting a loss no parent expects to face.

Family Asks for Space to Grieve

Since Presley’s death, the Gerber family has released only a brief public statement.

They have asked for privacy during what they described as an extremely difficult and painful time.

That request comes as public attention around Presley’s final hours continues to intensify.

But for the people closest to him, the story is not primarily about emergency calls, medical reports or an investigation.

It is about a son and brother they had spent years supporting.

People close to the family say they loved Presley deeply and never stopped wanting him to get better.

His struggles could be exhausting and frightening, but they did not define the entirety of their relationship with him.

He was also the child Cindy and Rande raised, Kaia’s older brother and a young man who had begun trying to transform his own painful experiences into something that might help others.

A Family Waiting for Answers

For now, there are two parallel stories surrounding Presley Gerber’s death.

One is the official investigation.

Police responded to a possible overdose. Presley was found unresponsive and pronounced dead at 9:45 a.m. An examination has been completed, but additional testing is required before officials can determine why he died.

The other story is unfolding privately.

It is the story of a family described as shocked and devastated, attempting to understand how someone they had supported through years of struggle is suddenly gone.

Cindy, Rande and Kaia had watched Presley fight through difficult periods before.

They had also watched him become increasingly open about those experiences and attempt to use them to encourage others.

That is part of why his death at only 27 has been so difficult for those closest to him to comprehend.

The medical investigation may eventually explain what happened physically on the morning of September 20.

For Presley Gerber’s family, however, understanding how to move forward without him will be a much longer process.