Years before the death of her son, Presley Walker Gerber, Cindy Crawford had spoken about the unimaginable pain of losing a child. Presley died over the weekend at the age of 27, with the cause suspected to be an overdose.
Presley's death and background
Presley had been receiving treatment at a luxury rehabilitation facility when he died. He had been open about his struggles with substance abuse and mental health over the years.
Sixteen years before Presley's death, Crawford revealed she could not comprehend how painful losing a child could be. That feeling had been experienced by her mother, Jennifer Sue Crawford-Moluf, after the death of Crawford's brother, Jeffrey, who died aged four following a battle with leukaemia.
Crawford's earlier comments
Speaking to the Mirror, Crawford said: "Growing up, I sometimes felt she should have been angry or outraged, and she wasn't. She had a son that died. My dad had an affair, and they divorced."
The supermodel added: "Those were painful things for her, but they didn't take away from her light as a person. Now I'm a mom myself, I've really come to appreciate her outlook on life." Jeffrey had been ill for two years before his death.
"I can't imagine the pain of losing a child," Crawford said.
Family reaction and emergency response
Following Presley's death, a source said Crawford was left completely broken, telling Page Six: "Cindy is inconsolable. She's absolutely devastated. This is every parent's worst nightmare, and the family is still trying to process everything that happened."
A second source told the publication that she and her son were "so close", adding: "What you saw online and in the press wasn't just for that purpose. They were a tight-knit family and [sister] Kaia and Presley were more than just siblings. Cindy has to be beyond gutted."
A 911 dispatch call disclosed that Presley went into cardiac arrest following an overdose before his death. The initial call was made at 9:35am on Sunday regarding a cardiac arrest, but three minutes later the priority was upgraded to an overdose. At 9:40am, the priority was again "upgraded".
Police statement and ongoing investigation
Santa Monica Police Department said emergency services were called to the luxury rehabilitation facility where Presley had been staying on Sunday morning. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
In a statement, they said: "On September 20, 2026, at approximately 9:35 a.m., Santa Monica Police Department officers responded to a report of a possible overdose in the 1000 block of Berkeley Street. Upon arrival, officers located an adult male who was deceased."
They added: "SMPD detectives are investigating the death as a suspected overdose. At this time, there is no indication of foul play. The investigation remains ongoing."
Presley had reportedly been staying in a separate house on the grounds of the rehab clinic and had checked in on Saturday. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has not yet determined the official cause of death, but the autopsy has been completed, allowing Presley's body to be released.
