Presley Gerber died on Sept. 20 after an apparent overdose
Credit: Phillip Faraone/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Presley Gerber died at age 27 from an apparent overdose and cardiac arrest
- A source tells PEOPLE his mother, Cindy Crawford, is “heartbroken”
- Presley had been open about his mental health struggles and aimed to help others through his experiences
In the wake of Presley Gerber’s death, his mother, supermodel Cindy Crawford, has been left “heartbroken,” a source tells PEOPLE.
“Cindy is completely in shock over Presley’s devastating death,” a source close to Crawford shares. “She is heartbroken.”
Presley, whose father is Crawford’s husband, businessman Rande Gerber, died on Sept. 20 at age 27 of an apparent overdose and cardiac arrest.
Santa Monica police records indicate a call for an overdose on the morning of Sept. 20 at a Santa Monica-area facility. The dispatch call also noted cardiac arrest.
Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty
A source close to Presley’s sister, Kaia Gerber, 25, previously told PEOPLE that the family is “in total shock” following his tragic passing.
“They are saddened beyond words,” the source shared. “Kaia loved that Presley was so open about his struggles; his family was so proud that he was finding strength in helping others.”
A second source who has been close to Crawford told PEOPLE that Crawford and Rande were consistently involved in their son’s life throughout his years-long struggles.
“This was never a situation involving two absent Hollywood parents,” the source says. “Cindy and Rande could not have been more supportive of Presley. They were always there for him and did everything they could to help him. The family has always been incredibly close, and Presley was deeply loved.”
Per a Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s report, Presley’s autopsy has been completed, and an official cause of death has been deferred.
In a statement provided to PEOPLE, the L.A. County Medical Examiner said Presley’s death was under investigation, adding, “The investigation is still ongoing and there is limited information available. Death was pronounced at 09:45 hours on September 20, 2026, by responding paramedics. The Santa Monica Police Department is the investigating law enforcement agency.”
Credit: John Phillips/BFC/Getty
In a separate statement shared shortly thereafter, the Medical Examiner’s office added that it was in “the early stages of investigating” Presley’s death, adding that the “cause and manner of death have been deferred, which means additional testing and/or studies were requested in order to make a determination.” This could take a few months.
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Prior to his death, Presley had been open about his mental health struggles and his drug use.
“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 on the Studio 22 podcast in 2023.
“[Mental health] is an issue. It is such a big part of my life. It’s a 24/7 job, and there’s so much to it,” Presley continued. “That’s really what I want to do: help people, whether you’re depressed, you’re struggling with something that is having a negative effect on your body. I mean it could be anything, and there’s no judgment.”
He added, “I’ve seen a lot of stuff and I’ve learned a lot of things. What I hope I can do is have made the mistakes for some other people, so they don’t have to make the same mistakes that I made.”
Credit: Chris Orwig
Presley’s last public appearance was in June at the We Are ENOUGH x Aviator Nation launch event at Aviator Nation Dreamland in Malibu, Calif. In photos from the event, Presley smiled as he stood between his parents, with his arm around his dad. Crawford, 60, and Rande, 64, attended the event to support their son as he participated in a candid panel discussion about mental health.
Reflecting on growing up in the public eye, Presley discussed feeling pressure to present himself a certain way. He said he eventually found a sense of freedom through being vulnerable about what he had experienced.
“The most free I felt was when I was finally honest with myself,” he told the audience.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.
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