Presley Gerber's last public girlfriend Lexi Wood pays touching tribute to him after suspected overdose death at 27: 'He fought so hard for his life'

The last woman Presley Gerber dated publicly had paid touching tribute to him a day after a different ex shared her memories of the late model who died at 27 of a suspected overdose. 

Influencer and former reality star Lexi Wood - who was romantically linked to Presley briefly in 2022 - took to Instagram on Tuesday to share throwback snaps and a video from their time together.

Presley, the only son of supermodel Cindy Crawford, 60, and millionaire businessman Rande Gerber, 64, died at a rehab facility in Los Angeles. His death is being investigated as a suspected overdose. 

The 28-year-old social media star Wood shared a lengthy caption about their time together as she reflected on her longtime friend and former romantic partner.

She wrote: 'It’s hard to put into words what it means to lose someone who was such a meaningful part of my life for so many years. Through every chapter and every version of our relationship, friendship was always at the core of it.

Everyone who loved Presley and was loved by him knows he was one of the kindest, most open, loving and courageous people.'

Wood shared various intimate snaps from their relationship together along with a cute video of them running in the pouring rain together. 

She continued: He loved so deeply, so purely, was incredibly romantic and thoughtful.

'He was also incredibly resilient. He fought so hard for his life and he was brave enough to be open about that fight. More than anything, he wanted to use his story to help other people, and he did.

'I feel so lucky to have shared so many years of friendship, so many memories and so much love with him. He will always hold such a special place in my heart, and we will all miss him forever. [white heart emoji]'

Before dating Presley, Wood dated nepo baby Brooklyn Beckham in 2018 and recently dated singer and reality star Jesse Solomon during her time on the show Summer House in 2024.

Wood is not the only one of Presley's ex who paid emotional tribute to him as  Charlotte D'Alessio did the same thing after his shock death at 27 on Sunday. 

The 28-year-old Canadian model, who dated Presley for around two years from 2018, posted a series of intimate photos of the pair, writing that they shared a 'pure love' and that she was 'very angry' about his death.

D'Alessio reflected on their time together as she shared a photo of them embracing on a dock, with the model pictured in a bikini alongside Presley. 

'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,' she wrote on the photo.

On another black and white photo of them hugging she wrote: 'Love you Pres. always. Up there, down here. don't ever doubt that. we all love you so much. I hope you can feel it.' 

She also included what appeared to be a photo from a costume party, showing the pair posing together while holding prop guns. 

In another slide, Presley was pictured lounging on a bed with a rolled-up cigarette in his mouth while petting a small white dog.

She also uploaded a nostalgic clip of Presley taking a scenic walk toward the ocean, with the white dog trotting close behind him.

'I will always remember you this way,' she wrote over the video.

The duo reportedly met through Presley's sister, Kaia Gerber, 25, in December of 2017.  

Aside from his romance with D'Alessio and Wood, Presley had also been linked model Cayley King in 2017.

On Sunday, it was announced that Presley died in a rehab facility following a years-long struggle with drugs, panic attacks and his mental health. 

A Santa Monica Police Department spokesperson confirmed to The Daily Mail on Monday that emergency services were called to a luxury rehab Presley had been staying in on Sunday morning – before he was pronounced dead at the scene.

'On September 20, 2026, at approximately 9.35am, Santa Monica Police Department officers responded to a report of a possible overdose in the 1000 block of Berkeley Street. Upon arrival, officers located an adult male who was deceased,' the statement read. 

'SMPD detectives are investigating the death as a suspected overdose. At this time, there is no indication of foul play. The investigation remains ongoing.'

People reports dispatch recordings show a call went out at 9.35am on Sunday for a 'cardiac arrest' at the unnamed facility.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has not determined the official cause of death yet but the autopsy was completed as of Monday morning and Presley's body was ready for release.

Per TMZ, Presley had been staying in a separate house on the grounds of the LA rehab, and had roommates. It was also claimed Presley had only checked into the rehab on Saturday night, hours before his death.

The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for the Gerber family and has yet to hear back.

The medical examiner's office told People on Monday: 'Death was pronounced at 09.45 hours on September 20, 2026, by responding paramedics.'

The model had been open about his decade-long struggle with drug addiction and mental health struggles.

Earlier this year, he posted about having a 'Pre-ibogaine flood dose' at a Mexican treatment clinic, a single, high-dose administration of the naturally occurring psychoactive substance ibogaine.

Ibogaine is derived from an African shrub and is reported to help withdrawal symptoms. The high dose is designed to induce a profound 'reset.'

Presley's parents and his sister Kaia praised him for his 'courage' in response to his post about starting the treatment in March.

Crawford commented: 'You are a warrior! Walked thru the fire to find yourself! So proud!' while Kaia added: 'That's my brother I am so damn proud.'

And Rande wrote: 'I'm so proud of you and your courage. Facing what's hard takes real strength and watching you find your way back to yourself is everything. I love you so much.'

Ibogaine is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance in the US but it is legal or permitted on prescription in countries such as Canada and Brazil while it is used in specialized clinics in Mexico.

Presley praised the Beond Ibogaine clinic in Cancun – where treatment starts at $12,500 for a ten-day program – for its 'incredible, caring, kind and on-their-s*** team.'

Presley said in a video caption: 'I was absolutely terrified, and I knew I would be again if I ever had to face something like this (helps to not go into the situations you do that get ya there but that's life sometimes.)

'My mantras were love yourself and lis gotta be the last time for this reason. letting go of control didn't come easy, but I trusted there was something bigger than me guiding it.'

'I knew why i was there. I faced what I had been running from, and somewhere in all of it, i started finding my way back to myself… We shall see… Praying it's the last time I have to come back.

'Next time I'd like to choose And absolutely can't forget the incredible caring kind and on-their-s*** team. Helps a lot haha. And I made some dope ass friends there #iboga #ibogaine #rewireyourbrain #loveyourself #mentalhealth.'

Beond Ibogaine commented on the post at the time, writing: 'Thank you for sharing this so openly. We know how much courage that moment takes, and we're really proud of you for facing it with so much honesty and heart. It was an honor to support you.'

Beond Ibogaine's website states that 'Ingesting a large enough dose induces a temporary psychedelic experience that can last several hours, normally with no significant side-effects.'

Despite its ban, public figures including singer Melissa Etheridge, who lost her 21-year-old son Beckett to a fentanyl overdose in 2020, and Khloe Kardashian's ex-husband Lamar Odom have endorsed Ibogaine's benefits.

Last November, Presley revealed he had taken a step back from social media to 'take care of my own mental health for a bit.'

One month later, he opened up about his personal life in a candid social media video. He started sharing 'Mental Health Mondays' videos on his Instagram. In one, he listed the medication he takes for 'night terrors' and 'panic attacks.'

'I feel like honesty is the best policy,' he began.

He also said his use of medication had been 'fluctuating up and down depending on what's been going on in my life.'

'Unfortunately, I've had a lot of loss in many different forms recently, so that is not an excuse, but it's the reason why I am where I'm at now,' he shared.

He did not go into detail about the 'loss' he referenced but went on to explain that he would experience panic attacks that were 'really, really bad.'

In one particularly bleak admission, he confessed he no longer even knew precisely how much of one medication he had been taking.

'Who f***ing knows anymore,' he said.

The tragedy cuts short the life of a model who had seemingly been destined to follow his famous mother into fashion from an early age.

A spokesman for Crawford told the Daily Mail on Sunday: 'The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time.'

Presley started modeling at age 15 and was featured in campaigns for fashion labels such as Dolce & Gabbana and Calvin Klein.

Presley was signed to IMG models and appeared in a 2018 Pepsi ad with his mother.

He also struggled with mental health at a young age and was arrested for driving under the influence in 2019.

Presley had also talked about the lack of 'direction' he has from doctors when it comes to his medication.

He spoke openly about feeling lost as he attempted to navigate his mental health problems – even revealing that he had seen 15 psychiatrists.

The model complained that doctors had given him an overwhelming array of medications but too little guidance about how to manage them.

His death comes just weeks after his younger sister Kaia opened up about the enormous toll her brother's struggles had taken on their famous family – admitting the turmoil had effectively 'leveled everyone.'

'When something like that happens in a family, it kind of levels everyone,' she told Vogue.

Kaia also revealed last month that watching her brother battle his problems led her to cast herself as the family's 'easy' child and someone who did not want to add another burden for their parents.

She explained: 'I think that's also why I started to self-​identify as the easy one and never wanted to ask for help. Because it felt like too much to have two children who were needing.'

But she also praised her brother's willingness to strip away the secrecy surrounding his struggles.

She described his honesty and openness as 'refreshing,' contrasting it with the intensely private way their parents had traditionally handled family life.

Presley was open about his mental health struggles, noting how he had issues from 'a very young age' – and labeled it as 'the ultimate pandemic.'

During an appearance on the Studio 22 podcast in 2023, Presley had shared: 'It is such a big part of my life. It's a 24/7 job, and there's so much to it.'

Even while struggling himself, Presley said he hoped his experiences might ultimately allow him to help others facing their own battles.

'Having struggled with mental health, depression and some other things that come along with that, I think that whether I help one person or a hundred people get out of that place that I was in at one point in my life, that's all I need to do,' he said.