Model Presley Gerber has died aged 27 following a suspected drug overdose at a Los Angeles rehab facility on Sunday. He was the only son of supermodel Cindy Crawford, 60, and millionaire businessman Rande Gerber, 64.
Emergency services were called to the luxury facility in the 1000 block of Berkeley Street in Santa Monica at approximately 9.35am on September 20, 2026. Responding officers located the adult male, who was pronounced dead at the scene at 9.45am by paramedics.
Police investigation and medical examiner report
A Santa Monica Police Department spokesperson confirmed that detectives are investigating the death as a suspected overdose, adding that there is no indication of foul play and that the investigation remains ongoing.
Dispatch recordings obtained by People show the emergency call went out at 9.35am on Sunday for a reported cardiac arrest. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner completed an autopsy on Monday morning, with Gerber's body ready for release, though an official cause of death has not yet been determined.
Per reports from TMZ, Gerber had been staying in a separate house on the grounds of the Los Angeles rehab facility with roommates. He had checked into the facility on Saturday night, just hours before his death.
Following the tragedy, a spokesperson for Cindy Crawford told the Daily Mail on Sunday: "The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time." Representatives for the Gerber family have not provided further comment.
Tributes from ex-girlfriend Charlotte D'Alessio
Presley's ex-girlfriend Charlotte D'Alessio shared an emotional social media tribute following his death. The 28-year-old Canadian model, who dated Presley for around two years starting in 2018, posted a series of intimate photos of the pair, writing that they shared a "pure love" and that she was "very angry" about his death.
Posting a photo of the couple embracing on a dock in swimwear alongside Presley, D'Alessio wrote: "Shared a pure love with you & for that I thank & honor your life. You deserved more time. You deserved more life. Very angry ab this."
On a separate black-and-white photograph of the pair hugging, she added: "Love you Pres. always. Up there, down here. don't ever doubt that. we all love you so much. I hope you can feel it."
D'Alessio also included what appeared to be a photo from a costume party, showing the pair posing together while holding prop guns, as well as an image of Presley lounging on a bed with a rolled-up cigarette in his mouth while petting a small white dog.
She uploaded a nostalgic video clip showing Presley taking a scenic walk toward the ocean with the small white dog trotting close behind him, writing over the footage: "I will always remember you this way."
The duo reportedly met through Presley's sister, Kaia Gerber, 25, in December 2017. Outside of his romance with D'Alessio, Presley was previously linked to model Cayley King in 2017 and reality television star Lexi Wood in 2022.
History of mental health and addiction struggles
Presley had been open about his decade-long struggle with drug addiction, panic attacks, and mental health challenges. The model noted that he had experienced issues from a very young age, labeling mental illness as "the ultimate pandemic."
In 2019, Presley was arrested for driving under the influence. He later revealed he had seen 15 psychiatrists while attempting to navigate his mental health problems, complaining about a lack of direction from doctors and an overwhelming array of medications with too little guidance.
Appearing on the Studio 22 podcast in 2023, he shared: "It is such a big part of my life. It's a 24/7 job, and there's so much to it." He added: "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."
Last November, Presley revealed he had taken a step back from social media to "take care of my own mental health for a bit." One month later, in December, he opened up about his personal life in a candid video and began sharing "Mental Health Mondays" posts on Instagram.
In one video, he listed the medication he takes for "night terrors" and "panic attacks," stating that "honesty is the best policy." He shared that his medication use had been "fluctuating up and down depending on what's been going on in my life," adding: "Unfortunately, I've had a lot of loss in many different forms recently, so that is not an excuse, but it's the reason why I am where I'm at now."
Describing his panic attacks as "really, really bad," he confessed in a bleak admission that he no longer even knew precisely how much of one medication he had been taking, saying: "Who f***ing knows anymore."
Ibogaine treatment clinic in Mexico
Earlier this year, in March, Presley posted about having a "Pre-ibogaine flood dose" at Beond Ibogaine, a treatment clinic in Cancun, Mexico. The single, high-dose administration uses ibogaine, a naturally occurring psychoactive substance derived from an African shrub, which is reported to help withdrawal symptoms and induce a profound reset.
Treatment at the Cancun clinic starts at $12,500 for a ten-day program. The clinic's website states: "Ingesting a large enough dose induces a temporary psychedelic experience that can last several hours, normally with no significant side-effects." Ibogaine is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance in the United States, but is legal or permitted on prescription in Canada and Brazil, and is used in specialized clinics in Mexico.
Public figures including singer Melissa Etheridge, who lost her 21-year-old son Beckett to a fentanyl overdose in 2020, and Khloe Kardashian's ex-husband Lamar Odom have previously endorsed ibogaine's benefits.
Presley praised the Beond Ibogaine team as an "incredible, caring, kind and on-their-s*** team." In a video caption, he wrote: "I was absolutely terrified, and I knew I would be again if I ever had to face something like this (helps to not go into the situations you do that get ya there but that's life sometimes.) My mantras were love yourself and lis gotta be the last time for this reason. letting go of control didn't come easy, but I trusted there was something bigger than me guiding it. I knew why i was there. I faced what I had been running from, and somewhere in all of it, i started finding my way back to myself… We shall see… Praying it's the last time I have to come back. Next time I'd like to choose And absolutely can't forget the incredible caring kind and on-their-s*** team. Helps a lot haha. And I made some dope ass friends there #iboga #ibogaine #rewireyourbrain #loveyourself #mentalhealth."
Beond Ibogaine commented on the post: "Thank you for sharing this so openly. We know how much courage that moment takes, and we're really proud of you for facing it with so much honesty and heart. It was an honor to support you."
His family praised his courage in response to the post. Cindy Crawford commented: "You are a warrior! Walked thru the fire to find yourself! So proud!" while Kaia added: "That's my brother I am so damn proud." Rande Gerber wrote: "I'm so proud of you and your courage. Facing what's hard takes real strength and watching you find your way back to yourself is everything. I love you so much."
Impact on family and modeling career
Just last month, Kaia Gerber opened up in an interview with Vogue about the enormous toll her brother's struggles had taken on their family, admitting the turmoil had effectively "leveled everyone."
Kaia revealed that watching her brother battle his problems led her to cast herself as the family's "easy" child. She explained: "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." However, she praised her brother's willingness to strip away secrecy, calling his openness "refreshing" compared to how their parents had traditionally handled family life.
Presley started modeling at age 15 and was signed to IMG Models, appearing in campaigns for fashion labels such as Dolce & Gabbana and Calvin Klein. Seemingly destined to follow his mother into fashion from an early age, he also starred alongside Crawford in a 2018 Pepsi commercial.
