Paris Hilton wrote an emotional message to Presley Gerber on social media hours before the 27-year-old’s death was made public.
Gerber, the son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber, died yesterday, September 20. A spokesperson confirmed the news, while the family said in a statement to TMZ that they are “asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time.”
As per records from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, Presley died at a rehabilitation facility. An official cause of death has not yet been determined at the time of writing; an autopsy is still pending.
Among Gerber’s celebrity friends were the likes of Paris Hilton and Brooklyn Beckham. The former posted a comment on his Instagram page mere hours before his death was announced, prompting speculation online about whether Hilton already knew about his passing when she left the message.
The TV personality and social media profile wrote: “Love you bro” on one of Gerber’s final Instagram posts, accompanying her words with a heart-face and heart-hands emojis.
One Instagram user went as far as to suggest that Hilton knew about Gerber’s death before the general public, writing: “He probably died hours ago and she already knew about it. We the public find out last. Many hours later.”
Hilton and Gerber had reportedly been close friends for years, with Gerber making his last ever red-carpet appearance at an event connected to Hilton earlier this year.
In recent years, Presley had spoken openly about struggles in his personal life, discussing his mental health, depression, substance abuse, and recovery, while using his social media platforms to talk about the difficulties he had faced.
In a 2025 Instagram video, Presley said he wanted to surround himself with positive influences and hoped opening up about his experiences could help others feel less alone. He also described his mental health struggles as “really bad.”
In August of 2026, just one month ago, his sister, Kaia Gerber, spoke publicly about her brother’s struggles, saying he had been battling a “decade-long struggle with drug addiction.”
“When something like that happens in a family, it kind of levels everyone,” Kaia told Vogue. “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.”
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