Devastated 'Uncle George' Clooney makes pact after 'second son' Presley Gerber's death: Actor is 'deeply saddened and sick over this'

George Clooney's life - and finances - changed forever when he walked into Rande Gerber's bar in New York City more than 20 years ago to enjoy a cocktail during downtime on a film shoot.

For that fateful day gave the movie icon, now 65, both a lifelong friend and a business partner. He would later co-found Casamigos tequila (which sold for $1 billion in 2017) with Gerber, now 64.

Over the years, Clooney also became close to Gerber's supermodel wife Cindy Crawford, 60, and their young family, earning himself the title of 'Uncle George' to the couple's two children, Presley and Kaia Gerber.

The children would both go on to hit red carpets as teenagers and work as models, like their mother, for brands like Calvin Klein and Dolce & Gabbana.

But when Clooney had twins with his human rights attorney wife Amal Clooney - Alexander and Ella, born in June 2017 - he chose for them a decidedly different path. No red carpets, no Instagram photos and certainly no magazine shoots.

The kids would fly under the radar.

And now that Presley Gerber has tragically died at age 27, of a suspected drug overdose after years of addiciton struggles, it has only reinforced Uncle George's firm conviction that his children will never be exposed to fame. 

'George and Amal are deeply saddened by the death of Presley and it serves as another reminder that they will never put a spotlight on their twins Alex and Ella,' a source close to the actor told the Daily Mail. 

Clooney publicly expressed such a belief in a 2024 interview with GQ magazine, saying: 'I have a goal of trying to protect, I don't want pictures of my kids.'

'We deal in very serious subject matters, with very serious bad guys, and we don't want to have photos of our kids out there,' he explained, alluding to Amal's work, in which 48-year-old has legally pursued numerous entities involved in war crimes or oppression.

Our source said: 'The kids' privacy is especially important considering Amal's job as a human rights lawyer. She deals with some ugly people, so she has to be safe.' 

But according to the insider, this was a decision the Clooneys made long ago. And Clooney in particular, they noted, 'has rules' when it comes to how he 'raises his kids.'

'George and Amal agreed early on that they would keep their children's lives as private as possible, so that means photos of them don't get out, no red carpets, no Instagram posts about their kids, and they only speak about them in general terms,' the source said.

'They are highly aware of how privacy is important for their safety. So the kids don't get seen.'

That means they also won't be working in the limelight as teens. 

'The kids will not work till after college,' added the source. 'That can happen later in life.'

In fact, unlike many so-called nepo babies, the Clooney twins, now age nine, have grown up thousands of miles away from the bright lights of Hollywood.

'I was worried about raising our kids in LA, in the culture of Hollywood,' Clooney told Esquire magazine last year.

'I felt like they were never going to get a fair shake at life. France [where the twins are being raised] they kind of don't give a s*** about fame. I don't want them to be walking around worried about paparazzi. I don't want them being compared to somebody else's famous kids.'

But there is no judgment from the Clooneys about how Gerber and Crawford decided to raise their own children.

'They don't fault Cindy and Rande for helping make their kids successful,' said our source.

Presley and Kaia, now 25, actually grew up in their family home outside of Hollywood.

'Cindy and Rande lived way out in Malibu, not anywhere near the party scene,' said the source.

'They brought their kids up in a nice area that was quiet, and the kids were sheltered for so many years, so they tried their best.'

Indeed, Presley said his childhood was filled with fun. In a video posted to his Instagram account in July last year, the former model described a wholesome upbringing in which he swam, surfed and enjoyed sports like water polo and soccer.  

And, despite Crawford's own career as a model, it is understood she did not influence her children to follow in her footsteps, despite Presley hinting otherwise. (In a 2023 podcast interview, Presley said he had been 'thrown into' the industry.)

'Though some people are saying Cindy pushed Presley to model at a young age, it's not true,' said another source.

'Presley wanted [to be a model] when he was young. He said he was "thrown" into modeling but that is not accurate. He wanted it, he wanted to make money. And Cindy guided him the best she could. Later, Presley didn't want it.

'All Cindy ever did was look out for her kids in every way possible.'

Meanwhile, Uncle George was there for Presley - who he considered something of a second son - at some of his lowest moments, such as when Presley was slapped with a DUI in December 2018.

'George was kind to Presley, he never judged him, he was never hard on him, he was like, "I have been arrested too!"' said our Clooney source. 

The actor was arrested during a political protest in 2012 outside Sudan's embassy in Washington DC. He was detained for civil disobedience after crossing a police line while protesting against the Sudanese regime for blocking civilian access to food and aid.

The Ocean's 11 star spent a few hours in custody and was released after paying a $100 fine.

'George always told Presley to slow down and keep it simple,' said our Clooney source. 'After all, George was well into his thirties when he got his first big break on ER. Fame came later for him. George spent his twenties struggling. So George was like, "Take it easy, it will happen for you one day."'

Another source previously told the Daily Mail that Presley's death had comes as 'a major shock' to Clooney.

'George is sick over this because Rande is his best friend and everyone felt for Presley,' said the source.

The Daily Mail has contacted the actor's representative for comment.