Kaia Gerber feared 'depressed' and 'on the brink' as family panic in days after brother's overdose death

From the Newshound archive · first published 28 September 2026 · last updated 29 September 2026.

Friends and family are gripped by fear for Kaia Gerber, 25, after her brother Presley died of a suspected overdose at a sober-living home in Santa Monica on September 20, aged 27. Someone with direct knowledge of the family's situation says Kaia is 'very sad' and struggling to accept that Presley, whom she called her best friend, is gone. Laura Dern, 59, has visited Kaia at her Hollywood Hills home for the second time in days as her inner circle rallies around her.

Presley was cremated at Rose Family Funeral Home in Simi Valley, with his ashes to be kept at his parents' Malibu home, though an official cause of death is still pending further testing.

Friends say Kaia fears she 'can't escape' the family's shadow of addiction, and a New York 'meltdown' has deepened worries about her state of mind.

Presley, who left school at 15 to model, said he was 'thrown into' the industry — and a 2023 podcast saw him speak of battling depression and mental health struggles his entire adult life.