Presley Gerber Says Getting 'Thrown Into the Modeling Industry' Forced Him to 'Sink or Swim' Years Before Death: 'I Had to Grow Up Quickly'

Presley Gerber opened up about the struggles of being in the modeling industry on a podcast just three years before his untimely death at the age of 27.

Gerber died on September 20 at a Santa Monica, Calif., rehab facility.

During a 2023 interview on the Studio 22 podcast, Gerber discussed the internal battles he faced while trying to make a name for himself on the catwalk.

“Definitely getting thrown into the modeling industry. It's like you sink or swim. That's the bottom line,” he said.

“So, you're just thrown into it, and you immediately have to know how everything works,” he continued.

Gerber — who was the son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and Casamigos Tequila founder Rande Gerber — first stepped onto the modeling scene in June 2016 when he made his runway debut at Moschino's Los Angeles Resort show.

He subsequently landed a campaign for Calvin Klein and walked during a Dolce & Gabbana show during Milan Men’s Fashion Week.

“I remember within the first week of signing, I'm like in New York, people are taking pictures of me with my shirt off. Like just my whole life changed within a month, and it was just a very profound experience because I had to grow up quickly,” Presley also noted on the podcast.

He then described how attention from his peers quickly caught up to him. Presley was also an athlete during his formative high school years in Malibu, Calif., having been a member of the education institution’s surfing and water polo teams.

“All of a sudden, I'm in social media school, and I'm sitting in a class where I'm literally being told how to answer questions. When people tell you, when people ask you this, we want you to respond with this. When people ask you this, we want you to speak like this,” Presley recalled.

According to emergency dispatch recordings, Presley suffered cardiac arrest and passed away from a suspected overdose. He battled substance abuse issues and mental health problems for much of his life before he passed away.

“At this time, there is no indication of foul play. The official cause and manner of death will be determined by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner. The investigation remains ongoing," the Santa Monica Police Department said in a statement.

On September 25, it was reported Presley's body was cremated at Rose Family Funeral Home, with his parents allegedly planning to keep his ashes at their Malibu, Calif., residence.