Kaia Gerber Made Rare Comment About Brother Presley's 'Decade-Long Struggle With Drug Addiction' Weeks Before His Tragic Death

Presley Gerber's sister, Kaia Gerber, made a rare comment about her brother's “decade-long struggle with drug addiction" just one month before his untimely death.

“When something like that happens in a family, it kind of levels everyone,” she told Vogue. “I think that’s also why I started to self-​identify as the easy one and never wanted to ask for help. Because it felt like too much to have two children who were needing.”

Kaia, 25, said she appreciated her brother's openness and honesty about what he was going through.

“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.’ There’s only so much you can hide from the world,” she said. “And trying to put a lid on something just makes the person feel like you’re ashamed of them.”

Presley, who died in rehab on September 20, was charged with a DUI in December 2019.

Later on, he got candid about what was going on behind closed doors.

“Having struggled with mental health, depression and some other things that come along with that, I think that whether I help one person or a hundred people get out of that place that I was in at one point in my life, that’s all I need to do,” he said on the "Studio 22" podcast.

“[Mental health] is an issue. It is such a big part of my life. It’s a 24/7 job, and there’s so much to it,” Presley continued. “That’s really what I want to do: help people, whether you’re depressed, you’re struggling with something that is having a negative effect on your body. I mean it could be anything, and there’s no judgment.”

In a since-deleted Instagram from December 2025, Presley shared what medications he was taking, including Buprenorphine, Xanax and Valium, to treat his “panic attacks.”

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

“A. So you feel like you’re not alone, because that is how I feel most of the time, and 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 added. “And the second thing is, hopefully, I find some people out here... willing to help or know someone that can help.”