Kaia Gerber turned to Instagram on Sunday to share a poignant reflection on grief, following the death of her brother, Presley Gerber, less than two months earlier.
The 25-year-old model, whose parents are Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, posted an image of books about loss alongside a passage from Joan Didion’s 2005 memoir, The Year of Magical Thinking.
The excerpt began: “Grief, when it comes, is nothing we expect it to be. Grief has no distance.”
It continued: “Grief comes in waves, paroxysms, sudden apprehensions that weaken the knees and blind the eyes and obliterate darkness.”
Kaia had previously described the depth of her pain in a lengthy October 18 tribute, writing: “prez, i don’t have the words… how naive of me to believe that language could transcend grief.”
She continued: “I’ve read all of the books and i have none of the answers. my articulation is no match against this, the magnitude of losing you… i am, quite literally, down on my f***ing knees.”
Kaia Gerber, 25, shared a heartfelt quote about grief on Instagram Sunday, less than two months after the death of her brother, Presley Gerber, at age 27
“You know how much i loved being your sister. it has always been, and will forever be, my favorite thing about myself,” Kaia wrote. “I came into this world with a white-knuckle grip around you.”
“I had more love for you than i knew what to do with. and now that it has nowhere obvious to go, i’m certain it’s going to swallow me whole.”
Kaia described her late brother as her “best buddy,” “great protector” and “one true love of my life.”
“You lit all of my candles and took all of my monsters away. and i love you. and i love you. and i love you. only you know how much. thank you for being here,” she added.
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Kaia and her parents, 64-year-old Rande Gerber and 60-year-old Cindy Crawford, announced in an October 18 statement that they were “beyond heartbroken to lose our beloved son and brother.”
The family said they felt “so blessed to have had Presley in our lives for 27 years,” describing him as “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,” they added.
They concluded: “Til we meet again our sweet boy. We love you forever, Mom, Dad and Kaia.”
Kaia shared a passage from Joan Didion’s 2005 book, The Year of Magical Thinking, about the unpredictable nature of grief
Presley and Kaia Gerber attended a Marc Jacobs event in New York City in February 2017
The family’s emotional tributes followed Presley’s death on September 20. He was found unresponsive at Resolutions Living, a rehabilitation facility in Santa Monica, California, where he had reportedly checked in only hours earlier.
Officials have not yet confirmed Presley’s official cause of death. The Santa Monica Police Department is investigating the case as a suspected drug overdose.
The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner said in a statement on September 21 that paramedics pronounced Presley dead at 9:45 a.m. the previous day.
An examination was conducted, but authorities said the “cause and manner of death have been deferred.”
A deferred ruling means that further testing or additional studies are needed before officials can reach a conclusion. Authorities noted that determining the cause of death can take several months.
