Presley Gerber looked like any other 27-year-old enjoying an evening with his family.
He was smiling and he was surrounded by his parents, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber.
Three months later, he’s dead.
Presley’s final public appearance came on June 11 at the We Are ENOUGH x Aviator Nation event in Malibu, where he joined a panel focused on mental health. His parents were there to support him, and photos from the evening show Presley standing between them with his arm around his father.
To someone looking at just those pictures without knowing what was happening beneath the surface, there was little to suggest the devastating months that would follow.
His final public appearance wasn’t a warning sign that everyone could see.
It was a smiling young man standing beside his parents, speaking openly about mental health and encouraging others to keep going.
”He looks well, but that is the sad reality of mental health they look fine, but inside, they are dying,” one fan commented.
”My heart breaks for this young guy! He was begging fir guidance & help & the system failed him!,” another said.
”What a handsome sweet person. It is inexcusable we have not made enough progress in mental health,” one fan wrote.
“Mental health issues and addiction don’t discriminate. Such a tragic loss. My deepest condolences to the family. ❤️💔” another person wrote.
And a third focused on Cindy, writing, “Cindy seems sad here, we can feel it when something so devastating happens months before. Our body knows, our soul knows… but we would never accept it.”
“We all have sorrows and problems, poor parents going through such a struggle for years and putting on a smile for cameras,” another fan commented.
“Condolences to the Crawford-Gerber Family. There is no pain like losing a child whether an adult child or a minor child,” another fan shared.
Turning 23 became a major turning point
Presley died on Sept. 20 at a rehabilitation facility, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner records. His official cause of death has not been determined, and his family has asked for privacy.
The model had spent years speaking publicly about struggles that no photograph could ever reveal. During the June panel, he said turning 23 became a major turning point in his life.
After years of feeling different and trying various medications, Presley began to feel a greater sense of clarity once he came off them. He said the experience helped him separate the voices in his head from what he felt was his true self.
He described vulnerability as freeing, telling the audience:
“The most free I felt was when I was finally honest with myself.”
He also encouraged people struggling with difficult days to get outside, move their bodies and spend time in the sun.
“Move your body regardless of how you’re feeling. Get outside. Get some sun.”
Those words are difficult to read now.
The smile didn’t tell the whole story
One of the most painful things about mental health struggles is that they aren’t always visible. Someone can smile for a photograph, joke with friends, hug their parents and appear completely present — while privately fighting something nobody else can see.
Presley himself understood that.
In a 2023 podcast appearance, he spoke openly about depression and said mental health was a constant part of his life.
“[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.”
Rather than keeping his struggles hidden, he tried to use his experiences to help other people.
He later created his “Mental Health Mondays” videos, speaking about his own experiences with panic attacks, treatment and substance use. His goal, he said, was to make people feel less alone.
“I have a feeling that if I say all of this, a lot of people will at least know that there’s someone else going through it.”
That may be one of the most important parts of Presley’s story.
He wasn’t pretending that everything was perfect.
He was trying to tell people that it wasn’t.
His family knew the struggle was real
Presley’s younger sister, Kaia Gerber, also recently spoke about the effect his struggles had on their family.
In an August Vogue interview, she discussed what the outlet described as her brother’s decade-long struggle with drug addiction. Kaia said the experience changed the entire family and even led her to think of herself as “the easy one.”
She also described Presley as someone who refused to hide his struggles from the world.
“My brother, who says, ‘I’m gonna be very human for everyone.’”
And then came another line that feels especially significant now:
“There’s only so much you can hide from the world.”
Just four months ago, Presley was also photographed with his family as they came out to support his younger sister Kaia at the RE/DONE x Kaia Gerber Short/Cuts launch in Los Angeles.
Cindy Crawford, 60, and Rande Gerber, 64, joined their two children at the May 20 event, where the family posed together for photographers. Presley appeared cheerful and relaxed, standing alongside Kaia with a broad smile.
One photo captured a particularly sweet moment between the siblings, with Presley wrapping an arm around Kaia as they posed together.
Rest in peace, Presley!
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, help is available 24 hours a day through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Hotline at 1-800-662-4357.
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