If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or substance use, call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for SAMHSA’s National Helpline.
The unexpected death of Cindy Crawford's son Presley Gerber has caused a range of reactions online − and his young age of 27 is sparking another level of shock.
"It's disturbing to see such young people, who never experienced life to the fullest, leave so early," one user posted on social media.
"Such a young light gone," another commented. "Wow this is so unfortunate he was very young," another wrote.
Some even dubbed Gerber a new member of the 27 Club, the tragically connected group of stars who have all died at the same age. While the unofficial club has mostly focused on musicians, like Amy Winehouse, Kurt
Cobain and Jim Morrison, it has since expanded to include other young celebrities, according to the Rolling Stone.
"Sad he’s apart of the 27 club," one person commented on a social media post. "Gone too soon."
"CLUB 27 WHEN WILL THIS (expletive) END," another wrote.
Whether you were one of Gerber's fans or just learning of him now, the realization that his life was cut short at such a young age can have a psychological impact because it disrupts our own assumptions about life, according to mental health experts.
For example, we may believe life is safe, just and that the world can be predictable and fair, explained Michelle Smith, a licensed professional counselor.
"Stories like Presley Gerber's death can challenge these beliefs and assumptions and remind us of just how much lies outside of our control, our lives and the length of them included," she said.
Our brains like to feel "in control," Smith added, but a young death "reminds us that we only hold power over how we respond to what happens in life and we cannot control every external circumstance or outcome."
When someone young dies, it calls into question what we might consider the natural course of life, explained Doriel Jacov, a psychotherapist and founder of DJ Psychotherapy.
"We generally expect younger people to have a full and long life ahead of them, so when someone like Presley Gerber dies at age 27, we’re confronted both with the death itself but also the loss of life we imagined they still had ahead of them," Jacov explained, adding a death like this can "also bring forward existential questions for people close to that age, making mortality feel more immediate."
Disrupting the 'expected life sequence'
Others have also pointed out the unique grief that comes with a parent losing their adult child.
"My heart is absolutely broken for Cindy and her family. He was the same age as my son. It's unfathomable. My prayers to all of them," one user shared on X.
"Just imagine the pain of mother who lost her child," another wrote.
Grief can look different for every loss and individual depending on the relationship, cultural context, prior losses and the circumstances of the loss, Jessica Stacy, a licensed therapist who specializes in grief, previously told USA TODAY. But when a parent loses an adult child, the grief can "feel disorienting" because it "disrupts the expected life sequence," Stacy said.
Many parents, she said, carry an implicit belief that they will die before their children.
"When that narrative is shattered," Stacy said, "it can create not only profound sadness but also existential disorientation, or a feeling that the world no longer makes sense."
Contributing: Alyssa Goldberg, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Presley Gerber, the 27 Club and the pain of losing someone so young
