Cindy Crawford and Kaia Gerber are breaking their silence following the death of Presley Gerber, at age 27 last month.
Crawford took to her Instagram on Sunday to share a heartfelt tribute for her son, writing, “We are beyond heartbroken to lose our beloved son and brother. We feel so blessed to have had Presley in our lives for 27 years.”
“He is a sweet, beautiful soul who loved and is loved, now and forever. We are so proud of how he showed up in the world, with kindness and vulnerability,” the model and actress continued. “We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support from so many who know and love our family and even strangers who feel our pain. Til we meet again our sweet boy. We love you forever, Mom, Dad and Kaia.”
Crawford also shared a black-and-white photo of Presley and thanked artist Sebastian Faena for “capturing this beautiful image.”
Kaia, who is Presley’s young sister, also took to Instagram Sunday to share a lengthy tribute. “Prez, I don’t have the words, and maybe the tiny mercy is that we didn’t need them all along. Words fail and words subtract and words summarize and words always lack truth. And how naive of me to believe that language could transcend grief.”
“I’ve read all of the books and I have none of the answers. My articulation is no match against this, the magnitude of losing you. I am, quite literally, down on my fucking knees,” she continued. “You know how much I loved being your sister. It has always been, and will forever be, my favorite thing about myself. I came into this world with a white-knuckle grip around you. I had more love for you than I knew what to do with. And now that it has nowhere obvious to go, I’m certain it’s going to swallow me whole.”
“My best buddy, my great protector, the hardest I’ve ever laughed and the one true live of my life — you lit all my candles and took all of my monsters away. And I love you,” Kaia later added.
The Hollywood Reporter previously reported that Presley died at a rehab facility on Sept. 20, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. His official cause of death has yet to be revealed.
Presley was Crawford and Rande Gerber’s eldest child, and the older brother of model-actress Kaia, who most recently appeared in Ryan Murphy’s The Shards.
He began modeling as a teen, signing with IMG Models at age 15. He also worked with several brands throughout his career, including Moschino, Dolce & Gabbana and Calvin Klein, among others.
Before his death, Presley had been open about his struggles with his mental health, depression and substance abuse.
