Model Presley Gerber, the son of supermodel Cindy Crawford, was 27 when he was found dead at a sober-living home in Santa Monica, Calif., on Sunday, September 20, 2026. He died hours after checking into the home, Resolutions Living of Santa Monica. His father is Casamigos cofounder Rande Gerber. Police are treating the case as a suspected overdose.
As of September 28, Crawford and her family were “still deciding” the details of a memorial for her son, a source told People, and the plan is “somewhere in Malibu because of his love for surfing and the beach.”
Another source said the family is “still figuring out what to do in terms of a memorial” but wants to “keep it very intimate.”
A source told People that emotional strain has delayed the family’s memorial decisions. “It’s hard to make those decisions when everyone is struggling emotionally,” the source said. Another source said, “There’s so many people in Presley’s life who loved him; the amount of people that have reached out to attend is high.”
What Police Found
Santa Monica police said officers went to the home at roughly 9:35 a.m. after someone reported what appeared to be an overdose, and that they found a man who had died. The department said investigators have seen no indication of foul play and that the inquiry is continuing. Detectives are working to trace the source of the drugs. The investigation remained open as of September 24.
Gerber checked into the facility at 10 p.m. Saturday, September 19, according to a law enforcement source, who said he had suffered cardiac arrest. He was found in the bedroom where he had lain down to sleep, and his body was already cold, suggesting he had likely been dead for some time.
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner said additional testing is necessary before the cause and manner of death can be determined. As of September 24, the medical examiner had deferred ruling on the cause and manner pending toxicology results.
Allie Jenkins, a representative for Crawford and Rande Gerber, confirmed the death. “The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time,” Jenkins said.
His death certificate shows a cremation carried out days after he died, and a report published September 27 said his parents will keep Gerber’s ashes at home with them.
A source told Page Six that Gerber had used experimental treatment methods and hired a 24/7 sober coach in attempts to stay sober, and that he “knew he needed help” when he checked into the Santa Monica facility. “He’s always suffered from a huge lack of self-esteem and had trouble accepting his real self and feeling fully confident in who he was as a person,” the source said.
An insider told Woman’s Day of the family: “They’re in total shock. They’ve had so many ups and downs with Presley, but they truly thought this stint in rehab would be the chance he needed. Everyone was optimistic, which is what makes this even more difficult.”
Scrutiny of the Home
The residence is a sober home, not a licensed rehab clinic, and it is not required to be licensed like one. The facility drew fresh scrutiny in a report published September 26 and updated September 27, headlined “Inside the ultra-luxury sober living home where Presley Gerber died of suspected overdose.”
Clinical psychologist Dr. Reza Nabavi reportedly owns the facility where Gerber was found dead, and a published report says he was arrested twice in 2002. In one case, officers found Nabavi asleep in a car in an area with “frequent narcotic and prostitution activity” alongside a 15-year-old girl who was under the influence of methamphetamine. He was arrested again that month for possessing narcotics and drug paraphernalia.
A misdemeanor no contest plea in each case brought Nabavi 36 months’ probation both times. His license is current.
Tributes From Friends
Actress Nicola Peltz, 31, a friend, said she was truly devastated and that she felt lucky to have had him in her life. “Presley was pure light in this world, he had the kindest heart,” Peltz said. Two things would never leave her, she said: how kind he was, and how he turned up for the people closest to him. She also offered condolences to his family.
Brooklyn Peltz Beckham, another friend, said he was heartbroken. “Presley you were the kindest and we are going to miss you so much x we love you,” Beckham said.
On social media, Paris Hilton wrote that she was completely heartbroken and could still not believe the news was real. A beautiful soul and a gentle, caring young man was how she remembered Gerber.
Jason Kennedy said the news left him feeling sick to his stomach. He credited Gerber with speaking openly about his struggles in the belief it would help other people — which, Kennedy said, it did. He said a close bond had grown between them, and that Gerber’s parents had loved him in a way that was beautiful to watch.
Photos cited in a report published September 27 show George and Amal Clooney, longtime friends of Crawford and Rande Gerber, calling on the grieving family on September 22. George Clooney, 65, took the first available flight from his home in Lake Como, Italy, to Los Angeles to be with Crawford and Rande Gerber, an insider told Woman’s Day.
Career and Public Struggle
Gerber was born in the Los Angeles area on July 2, 1999, the eldest child of Crawford and Rande Gerber, who married in 1998. His younger sister is model and actress Kaia Gerber.
IMG Models signed him at 15, and Moschino gave him his first runway show, in Los Angeles, at 16. Dolce & Gabbana came next, and international campaigns followed with Calvin Klein and Celine. Pepsi put mother and son together in a 2018 advertisement that re-created her 1992 Super Bowl commercial, when he was 18. That same year, photographers caught the family together in London — Crawford, Rande Gerber, Presley and Kaia Gerber.
Police arrested him in Beverly Hills in December 2018 and charged him with driving under the influence (DUI). A no contest plea brought three years’ probation, plus a court-ordered DUI program and two days of community service.
He got a face tattoo reading “MISUNDERSTOOD” in 2020, and in an Instagram video he said the word captured how he had felt his entire life. By summer 2021 he had apparently had the ink removed.
He launched an Instagram video series, “Mental Health Mondays,” saying he wanted to prompt honest conversations about things most people keep hidden. Mental health was a big part of his life and a round-the-clock job, he said during a February 2023 appearance on the Studio 22 podcast, adding that pulling even one person out of the place he had once occupied would be enough for him.
A severe, multi-year opiate addiction and a near-fatal fentanyl overdose that left him in a coma for several days were what he disclosed in 2024, according to a report published September 27. Rehab for ibogaine treatment came afterward.
In a since-deleted December 2025 video, he said buprenorphine, Xanax and Valium were managing his symptoms and treating his panic attacks, and he called conflicting advice from doctors scary. In November 2025, he told followers he needed to pull back for a time to look after his own mental health. In an Instagram post on March 26, 2026, he said he had undergone an ibogaine “flood dose,” describing it as frightening but saying he had finally confronted what he had been running from.
Kaia Gerber discussed the family’s experience in an August 2026 Vogue cover story addressing her brother’s decade-long struggle with drug addiction. She told the magazine their parents had kept almost everything private for most of their lives while her brother chose to be openly human in front of everyone, and said trying to hide something only leaves the person at the center of it feeling like a source of shame.
Crawford marked her son’s 27th birthday on July 2 with throwback photos and a message of pride and love. He was dead less than three months later.
