Kaia Gerber is opening up about grief nearly two months after losing her older brother, Presley Gerber, at 27. The model shared an emotional passage about how loss comes in unexpected waves, offering another glimpse into her life following his death.
Kaia Gerber is finding comfort in books as she continues mourning the death of her older brother, Presley Gerber.
© WWDOn Sunday, November 8, the 25-year-old model and actress shared an emotional Instagram post featuring books about grief, loss, and healing. Among them was Joan Didion’s acclaimed memoir, The Year of Magical Thinking.
Gerber highlighted a passage describing how grief can arrive unexpectedly and disrupt even the most ordinary moments of daily life.
The post comes nearly two months after Presley, the son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber, died on September 20, 2026, at age 27.
© x17/The Grosby GroupThe emotional update follows an earlier tribute in which Kaia reflected on her close relationship with her brother and the difficulty of imagining life without him.
Kaia Gerber Shares Joan Didion Quote About Grief Coming in Waves
Kaia's latest Instagram post offered a personal look at the books she has been turning to while navigating her loss. The post, shared in collaboration with Library Science, the literary platform she co-founded with writer and editor Alyssa Reeder, featured a collection of memoirs, poetry, and books exploring the experience of losing someone.
At the center was Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking, a memoir published in 2005 following the sudden death of the author's husband, John Gregory Dunne.
© Penske MediaKaia highlighted Didion's description of grief as something that arrives without warning. "Grief, when it comes, is nothing we expect it to be," the passage begins. The excerpt continues by describing grief as arriving in waves, bringing overwhelming emotions that can interrupt everyday life.
While she did not accompany the literary passage with a lengthy personal explanation, the timing of the post gives it particular significance following Presley's death.
The Books Kaia Gerber Is Reading After Presley Gerber's Death
The Instagram post included 11 books examining grief from different perspectives. Among the selections were What the Living Do by Marie Howe, Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner, Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley, and Finding Meaning by David Kessler.
Kaia also included From Here to the Great Unknown, the posthumous memoir of Lisa Marie Presley, completed by her daughter, Riley Keough.
© UMV/Star MaxThe selection is particularly poignant because Lisa Marie's memoir explores family relationships, addiction, motherhood, and personal loss.
Other books featured in Kaia's collection included I Remember by Joe Brainard, Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke, Risking Everything by Roger Housden, and Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li.
Kaia's connection to literature is well established. Through Library Science, she and Reeder have worked to introduce readers to books beyond traditional bestseller lists.
Kaia Gerber's Emotional Tribute to Presley Revealed Their Close Bond
The November post follows a deeply personal message Kaia shared on October 18, nearly a month after Presley's death. In that tribute, the actress reflected on the extraordinary bond she shared with her brother, describing the difficulty of putting her grief into words.
She also shared childhood memories and explained how Presley had always been a source of comfort and protection throughout her life. One of the most emotional moments came when Kaia recalled how her older brother would often take the lead whenever she was frightened.
She remembered being nervous about getting her ears pierced as a child, prompting Presley to go first to reassure her.
© WWD via Getty ImagesKaia also described the challenge of continuing to be Presley's sister when she could no longer call him, see him, or share everyday experiences with him. In one particularly moving declaration, she wrote, "I was born loving you. I will die loving you."
She ended her Instagram tribute with a message expressing her enduring love for her older brother. "I love you the bluest, to the moon and back and back again, forever big brother."
