Kaia Gerber shared a passage from Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking on Instagram on Nov. 8, 2026, following the death of her older brother, Presley Gerber, according to USA TODAY. Presley died Sept. 20 at 27, the outlet reported. Source
The post paired the excerpt with a photograph of stacked books. USA TODAY reported that it was a joint Instagram post with Library Science, the book platform Gerber cofounded with Alyssa Reeder. Source
The passage from Didion’s memoir reads, as reproduced by USA TODAY:
“Grief, when it comes, is nothing we expect it to be. Grief has no distance. Grief comes in waves, paroxysms, sudden apprehensions that weaken the knees and blind the eyes and obliterate the dailiness of life.” Source
In an Oct. 18 Instagram tribute to Presley, quoted by USA TODAY, Gerber wrote: “You know how much I loved being your sister. It has always been, and will forever be, my favorite thing about myself.” Source
Their parents, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, requested “privacy during this very difficult and painful time” in a September statement confirming their son’s death, according to USA TODAY. Source
