Kaia Gerber Shared the ‘Sweet’ Way Brother Presley Showed His Support for Her 4 Days Before His Death

The ‘Shards’ actress previously praised her late brother as their family’s ‘absolute teacher’ of honesty amid his struggles with addiction

Kaia Gerber opened up about how her brother Presley cheered her on in The Shards in an interview four days before his death at age 27.

The actress, 25, told PEOPLE at a Los Angeles event on Wednesday, Sept. 16, that her older brother was following her performance in Ryan Murphy’s FX drama series, in which she portrays student body president Susan Reynolds.

After sharing that she had been having “watch parties” with their parents, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, Kaia added, “My brother’s been watching, which is very sweet. He sends me photos watching.”

On Sunday, Sept. 20, Presley died at a rehab facility, with responding paramedics pronouncing him dead at 9:45 a.m., according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. In recordings obtained by PEOPLE, Santa Monica, Calif., police received a call for a cardiac arrest in the 1000 block of Berkeley St. Another dispatch revealed first responders were looking into an overdose at the address.

A representative for Crawford, Rande and Kaia told PEOPLE, “The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time.”

In a September 2026 cover interview with Vogue published in August, Kaia spoke about how Crawford, 60, and Rande, 64, handled what the outlet called Presley’s “decades-long struggle with addiction.”

“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 said. “There’s only so much you can hide from the world.”

Because of her brother’s personal struggles, Kaia said she began to “self-identify as the easy one and never wanted to ask for help.”

She explained, “It felt like too much to have two children who were needing.”

Before his death, Presley talked openly about his mental health and substance use in order to help others facing similar problems. In a since-deleted Instagram video from December 2025, he shared the antidepressant medications he took, including Buprenorphine, Xanax and Valium, to treat “panic attacks.”

“I have a feeling that if I say all of this, a lot of people will at least know that there’s someone else going through it,” he said. “The second thing is, hopefully I find some people out here and are willing to help or know someone that can help.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.

Via: People