Inside Presley Gerber’s drug addiction battle before heartbreaking death

Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber’s son, Presley Gerber, battled substance abuse issues for years before his death.

The 27-year-old died on Sept. 20, 2026, at a Los Angeles rehab facility of a suspected overdose.

His parents and sister, Kaia Gerber, released a joint statement at the time, reading, “The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time.”

One month before Presley’s passing, Kaia praised her sibling’s vulnerability in sharing his struggles publicly.

“My parents for most of our lives were very, very private and didn’t share anything — and now we have this absolute teacher, my brother, who says, ‘I’m gonna be very human for everyone,’” she told Vogue in August 2026. “There’s only so much you can hide from the world.”

Below, Page Six is breaking down Presley’s ups and downs over the years.

DUI arrest

In December 2018, Presley was arrested for DUI in California after failing a field sobriety test.

Presley, who was 19 years old at the time, pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charge.

He was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to complete a DUI program and two days of community service.

In February 2020, Presley was spotted at a drug-testing facility — shortly after debuting his “misunderstood” face tattoo.

Depression struggles

While Presley did not speak publicly about his addiction until 2024, he did share rare insight into his struggles with “mental health, depression and some other things that come along with that” the previous year.

“What I hope I can do is have made the mistakes for other people, so they don’t have to make the same mistakes that I made,” he shared with “Studio 22” podcast listeners in March 2023.

“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,” he continued, noting that he was in therapy “a lot.”

Opioid addiction

Presley opened up via Instagram Stories in 2024, per The List, about “dealing with [a] current, very high opioid addiction.”

He told his followers he had “been on and off them for years now” and was preparing to undergo treatment.

“I’m letting everyone know so there’s some accountability in this situation,” Presley said without elaborating further.

Mental Health Mondays

Later that same year, Presley began filming weekly Instagram videos as part of a “Mental Health Mondays” series.

The social media uploads focused on a specific topic each time, from battling shame to dealing with triggers.

He also spoke in detail about his experiences with a variety of medications, including Prozac, Adderall, Valium, Ambien and more.

Panic attack prescriptions

In a lengthy (and since-deleted) December 2025 Instagram video, Presley announced he was five months sober from alcohol — and gave an extensive breakdown of the medication he was taking since “honesty is the best policy” to make others feel “less alone.”

The list included prescriptions for “night terrors,” as well as Xanax for “really, really bad panic attacks,” Buprenorphine, ketamine and more.

“Every psychiatrist I’ve had — and I’ve had, like, 15 — they’re all like, ‘Here’s 20 medications. Take this if you feel like this, take this as needed.’ And I’m like, ‘No, don’t give me that much leeway. I need some direction,’” he noted.

Presley, who was trying to “surround [him]self with good” influences, said, “I’ve had a lot of loss in many different forms recently. That is not an excuse, but it’s the reason — or part of — why I am where I’m at now.”

He explained that this was why he took a “fluctuating” amount of benzos.

Wellness clinic

Presley reflected on his time at a wellness clinic in Cancún, Mexico, in March 2026, where he took ibogaine, a psychoactive found in the root bark of the West African shrub Tabernanthe iboga.

“I faced what I had been running from, and somewhere in all of it, I started finding my way back to myself,” he wrote via Instagram at the time.

“We shall see. Praying it’s the last time I have to come back. Next time I’d like to choose 😜 🙏🏻.”

Presley’s family members gushed over how “proud” they were of him in the comments section.

Death

News broke of Presley’s death in September 2026.

According to TMZ, Crawford and Rande were told their eldest child died a result of an overdose while he was at a rehab facility on a separate house on the grounds.

His official cause of death has yet to be revealed.