‘We are beyond heartbroken’: Cindy Crawford, Rande and Kaia Gerber share tributes to Presley

Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber have said they are “beyond heartbroken” in a tribute to their “sweet beautiful” son, Presley.Their eldest child died aged 27 at a rehab facility on 20 September, according to Los Angeles county medical examiner records. The cause of his death has not been disclosed.Crawford and Gerber posted an emotional statement on Instagram on Sunday.“We are beyond heartbroken to lose our beloved son and brother,” it said. “We feel so blessed to have had Presley in our lives for 27 years.“He is a sweet, beautiful soul who loved and is loved, now and forever. We are so proud of how he showed up in the world, with kindness and vulnerability.“We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support from so many who know and love our family and even strangers who feel our pain.“Til we meet again our sweet boy.”The message was signed “with love forever” from Crawford and Gerber and their daughter, Kaia Gerber.Kaia, who like her mother is a model, also expressed her support in the comments, shared a message on her own page alongside a carousel of images and videos of herself with Presley.In a letter addressed to her brother, she wrote: “Prez, I don’t have the words. Maybe the tiny mercy is that we didn’t need them all along.”She wrote that she had “none of the answers” and could not articulate the “magnitude” of losing her brother.“You know how much I loved being your sister. It has always been, and will forever be, my favourite thing about myself.”The letter described her older brother as “inherently good” and her “ultimate teacher”, recounting childhood memories as she reflected on her grief.“I am learning how to love you when I cannot see you,” Kaia she. “How to tell you something without picking up my phone to call you. How to be your sister in a world that I can’t reach for you in. I don’t know how to do that yet.”She concluded: “My best buddy, my great protector, the hardest I’ve ever laughed and the one true love of my life. You lit all of my candles and took all of my monsters away, and I love you.”The post was set to the song First I Was by Jake Minch, which Kaia described as “the last thing we talked about”.The actors Taylor Lautner and Patrick Schwarzenegger, the singer Suki Waterhouse and the socialite Paris Hilton commented on the post.“My heart breaks for you and your family,” Hilton wrote. “Presley was truly one of a kind, and I feel so lucky to have known him. I’ll always remember him with so much love.”Presley was signed by IMG Models when he was 15 and modelled for brands including Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana and Bottega Veneta.He spoke frequently about his struggles with depression and substance abuse.