This article was originally published on Crafting Your Home. A human contributor also wrote and edited the post.
The post Presley Gerber’s Ex Charlotte D’Alessio Says “You Deserved More Life” in Heartfelt Tribute After His Death first appeared on Crafting Your Home
Charlotte D’Alessio, the Canadian model who dated Presley Gerber for two years, has broken her silence on his death with a series of emotional posts on Instagram Stories.
Gerber, the 27-year-old son of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, died on Sunday, September 20, at a rehabilitation facility, and his death is being investigated by the Santa Monica Police Department as a suspected overdose.
D’Alessio and Gerber met in 2018 through his sister, Kaia Gerber, and dated for roughly two years. The relationship played out publicly online at the time, and D’Alessio’s tribute this week leaned on that same visual history, filled with photos from their time together rather than a single statement.
Her posts arrived a day after news of Gerber’s death broke, adding a personal, firsthand voice to a story shaped so far largely by official statements and secondhand sourcing.
What follows lays out exactly what D’Alessio said, what is known about their relationship, and what the investigation into Gerber’s death has confirmed so far.
What Charlotte D’Alessio Said in Her Tribute
D’Alessio’s tribute unfolded across several Instagram Stories, not a single post. In one, she shared a photo of the two of them embracing on a dock and wrote, “Shared a pure love with you & for that I thank & honor your life. You deserved more time. You deserved more life. Very angry ab this.” The line about anger stood out among the messages, since it captured a rawer, more immediate reaction than the more composed condolences that have circulated from other public figures this week.
In a separate post, D’Alessio shared a black-and-white photo of the former couple embracing and wrote, “Love u Pres. Up there, down here. Don’t ever doubt that. We all love you so much. I hope you can feel it.”
She also posted a video of Gerber running along the water with a small dog, a clip she said captured how she wants to remember him. “I will always remember you this way,” she wrote over the footage.
Across the posts, D’Alessio mixed still photos with video, giving her tribute a scrapbook quality that leaned into shared memories rather than a single formal statement.
D’Alessio, who was discovered at Coachella in 2015 and has modeled for campaigns including Marc Jacobs’ Daisy perfume line, has largely kept her public commentary about Gerber limited since their relationship ended.
That makes this week’s series of posts a notable departure, and several outlets, including Just Jared and Us Weekly’s syndication partners, picked it up within hours of her sharing it.
Nothing in her posts addressed the circumstances of his death directly, and this article does not speculate about what she knows beyond what she has written.
A Relationship That Played Out Publicly for Two Years
D’Alessio and Gerber’s relationship dates back to 2018, when they first became public, and multiple outlets confirm the pair met through Kaia Gerber, a friend of D’Alessio’s at the time.
The two dated for around two years and were frequently photographed together during that stretch, including at industry events where both were building their modeling careers.
D’Alessio, a Toronto native born Briar Christina D’Alessio, had already built a following through Coachella-era Instagram fame before the relationship began, and Gerber’s own modeling career, backed by his family’s profile, was rising at the same time.
Gerber had other relationships that followed his time with D’Alessio. He was also linked to reality TV personality Lexi Wood in 2022 and model Cayley King in 2017, according to reporting reviewed for this story.
None of those later relationships are central to D’Alessio’s tribute this week, but they are part of the public record of Gerber’s life as a model who spent much of his twenties in the public eye alongside his famous family.
Other friends and colleagues have echoed pieces of D’Alessio’s sentiment in their own tributes. Reality TV personality Brody Jenner commented directly on Gerber’s final Instagram post, writing simply, “love you brother.”
Fashion photographer Collier Schorr, who photographed both Gerber and his sister, described him on Instagram as someone who “wanted to find his place” and who cared deeply despite struggling under public scrutiny.
Those tributes, together with D’Alessio’s, paint a picture of someone who was closely connected to the people around him, even as he battled the mental health and substance issues he had spoken about publicly for years.
What Has Been Confirmed About His Death
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office has said Gerber’s death remains under investigation, and in a statement shared with People, the office said it was in “the early stages of investigating” and that “limited information is currently available.”
An autopsy was performed on Monday, September 21, but the office said the cause and manner of death “have been deferred,” meaning additional testing or studies were requested before a determination could be made.
The Santa Monica Police Department said in a statement that officers attempted life-saving measures at the scene before Gerber was pronounced dead, and the department has said there is no indication of foul play.
A family representative told People, “The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time.” That statement, issued on behalf of Crawford, Rande Gerber and Kaia, remains the only on-the-record comment from Gerber’s immediate family as of this writing.
Separately, sources close to the family have described Crawford as “completely in shock,” and Kaia’s circle has described the family as being “in total shock” following his death, though neither Crawford nor Kaia has spoken publicly in her own words about the loss.
Gerber had been open for years about his struggles with mental health and substance use, both in interviews and through his own social media, including a series he called “Mental Health Mondays.”
Just weeks before his death, Kaia discussed her brother’s decade-long addiction struggle in an interview with Vogue, saying their family’s approach to being private had shifted because of how openly Presley chose to talk about what he was going through.
That openness is part of why so many people, from his sister to his former girlfriend to friends across the industry, have felt able to speak publicly about him this week, even as the official investigation into his death continues.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, the SAMHSA helpline is 1-800-662-HELP, and anyone facing mental health challenges or emotional distress can call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org, 24/7.
Other Stories You Might Like
- Presley Gerber Dies at 27 as Police Probe Suspected Overdose and Dispatch Calls Point to Cardiac Arrest
- Cindy Crawford Is “Completely in Shock” Over Presley Gerber’s Death, Source Says, as Medical Examiner Confirms Time of Death
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