Presley Gerber spoke candidly about facing what he’d ‘been running from’ just months before death at 27

Presley Gerber spoke candidly about how he was trying to overcome his addiction battle just six months before his death at a rehab center — revealing he was facing what he “had been running from.”

The 27-year-old model shared footage of himself at a wellness clinic in Cancún, Mexico, in March, where he took part in a ritual and prayer.

“Pre ibogaine flood dose — quiet moment before everything changed,” he captioned the video.

“I was absolutely terrified, and I knew I would be again if I ever had to face something like this (helps to not go into the situations you do that get ya there but that’s life sometimes.) (my mantras were love yourself and lis gotta be the last time for this reason.

“Letting go of control didn’t come easy, but I trusted there was something bigger than me guiding it. I knew why I was there,” he continued. “I faced what I had been running from, and somewhere in all of it, i started finding my way back to myself.

“We shall see… Praying it’s the last time I have to come back. Next time I’d like to choose.”

Gerber, the only son of supermodel Cindy Crawford, thanked the “incredible, caring [and] kind” team at the facility. 

After sharing his vulnerable post, Presley was showered with support, especially from his sister, Kaia, who said she was “so damn proud” of her older brother.

Crawford also commented, saying, “You are a warrior. Walked thru [sic] the fire to find yourself. So proud!”

Rande Gerber, Presley’s dad, also gushed about how “proud” he was of his son and his “courage.”

“Facing what’s hard takes real strength and watching you find your way back to yourself is everything. I love you so much,” he added.

Presley — who made his modeling debut at 16 for the Italian brand Moschino — turned to ibogaine, a psychoactive found in the root bark of the West African shrub Tabernanthe iboga.

The psychedelic can be used to tackle opioid addiction and Stanford studies have found it can effectively treat traumatic brain injuries military veterans have suffered.

“No other drug has ever been able to alleviate the functional and neuropsychiatric symptoms of traumatic brain injury,” Nolan Williams, an associate professor of psychiatry, said of the 2025 study.

Presley — who struggled with addiction for the past decade — was at an undisclosed rehab facility when he died Sunday. An autopsy has yet to be completed.

In 2024, Gerber revealed he had battled a severe, multiyear opiate addiction.

The same year, he also disclosed he was suffering from prescription medication dependency after seeing over 15 different psychiatrists who allegedly heavily medicated him without giving him a structured recovery direction.

Last December, he revealed in a now-deleted video how he used prescription medications such as antidepressants and Xanax for panic attacks, CNN reported.

“Unfortunately, I’ve had a lot of loss in many different forms recently,” he said. “So that is not an excuse, but it’s the reason why I am where I’m at now.”

Just a month before his death, Kaia opened up about her brother’s battle with addiction.

“When something like that happens in a family, it kind of levels everyone,” she told Vogue, dubbing her brother “very human.”

If you or someone you care about is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).