Kaia Gerber has shared a heartbreaking tribute to her older brother, Presley Gerber, nearly a month after his death at 27. The model and actress, whose credits include Apple TV’s Palm Royale, posted childhood footage, family photographs and an emotional letter remembering the brother she called her greatest protector. Of course, Reese Witherspoon and a ton of other celebrities quickly filled the comments section with love.
Following Gerber’s Instagram tribute on Sunday, Oct. 18 (see below), Witherspoon, Paris Hilton, Patrick Schwarzenegger and a long list of Hollywood friends reached out with condolences. Some offered a few words of comfort, while others shared how much The Wagers star meant to them.
Presley Gerber, the eldest child of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, died Sept. 20 at a rehabilitation facility in Santa Monica, California. His official cause of death has not been publicly determined.
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In her tribute, Kaia, 25, admitted she was struggling to find words for her grief. She said being his sister was her favorite thing about herself and remembered how he stayed kind even during difficult periods in his life.
The siblings remained close into adulthood, even celebrating Kaia’s birthday together at Disneyland in 2024, alongside actress Ayo Edebiri. What was once a fun collection of theme park photos now offers another glimpse of the time they shared. She also wrote about adjusting to a world where she could no longer pick up the phone and call him.
The comments quickly filled with messages from fellow actors, musicians and longtime family friends. Many are familiar names to readers following television and the 2026 movie release schedule, but their responses here are deeply personal. Here are a few of the standouts:
- Reese Witherspoon: “This is Love. Simple. Beautiful. True.”
- Suki Waterhouse: “The most beautiful, moving tribute. So much love ❤️”
- Patrick Schwarzenegger: “❤️❤️❤️❤️ Sending you love and prayers ❤️❤️❤️❤️”
- Nina Dobrev: 🤍🤍🤍💔
- Dove Cameron: “give me the whole impossible bargain.” 🫀 language has a way of illuminating the impossibility of holding grief, for the ways it fails us. but you may have beaten language, here. i love you kaia. i’ve been thinking about you non stop. holding your hand in the void.
- Paris Hilton: “My heart breaks for you and your family.” Hilton also remembered Presley as someone special whom she felt fortunate to have known.
- Cara Delevingne: “We are all standing with you Kaia, it may not help with the pain you are going through but we are here when and if you need. ❤️”
- Nicole Wallace: “what a beautiful thing to love and be loved like this. 🫂 I’m so sorry. So much love.”
The family has also received support outside of social media. Shortly after Presley’s death, George and Amal Clooney reportedly visited Kaia’s home to comfort the family. George Clooney and Rande Gerber have been close friends for decades. Messages also appeared beneath Rande’s posts, including expressions of support from Orlando Bloom and Yolanda Hadid.
Presley began modeling as a teenager and worked with fashion houses including Burberry and Dolce & Gabbana. Crawford had previously spoken about watching both of her children follow her into modeling, a career she neither pushed them toward nor discouraged. He had also spoken openly about his experiences with depression and mental health. In a 2023 interview, Presley said he wanted to use his platform to help others facing similar struggles, adding that even helping one person would make the effort worthwhile.
The Gerber family previously requested privacy as they mourn. Nothing written beneath a social media post can make losing a brother easier. Still, the response to Kaia's open letter shows how many people wanted her to know they were remembering Presley, too.