Drugs & Alcohol

Presley Gerber's former girlfriend Lexi Wood is remembering the late model for being "incredibly resilient" and fighting "so hard for his life."

The "Summer House" alum shared a post Tuesday honoring Presley, looking back at the time she spent with the son of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber.

Lexi says ... "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."

She says Presley "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."

Presley Gerber's body has been released after authorities finished their autopsy ... TMZ has learned.

Online records indicate the body has been let go ... though it doesn't say who is currently in custody of it. His cause of death is still "deferred" for now.

As you know ... Presley died on Sunday at a Los Angeles-area rehab facility. Our sources say his death appeared to be an overdose.

Presley Gerber showing up to a sober-living facility while seemingly intoxicated isn't odd, so says an executive in the recovery industry ... and he tells us lots of people are getting a final fix before trying to get clean.

Nick Mathews -- a CEO in the rehab and sober living space -- joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday to discuss Presley's shocking death at a Santa Monica rehab facility.

Charles asked Nick if people should be surprised that Presley did not appear sober when he checked in the night before he died.

Nick tells us many addicts are intoxicated when they arrive after one last night of partying, and sobriety isn't always a precursor to getting into a rehab facility.

Presley Gerber's ex-girlfriend is "very angry" that the model died at 27 from a suspected overdose in a rehab facility ... and she says he didn't deserve to die young.

Charlotte D'Alessio posted a series of sweet snaps with her former flame on her Instagram stories, including one where she wrote ... "Shared a pure love with you & for that I thank & honor your life."

She continued ... "You deserved more time. You deserved more life. Very angry ab this."

Presley Gerber appeared under the influence of a substance when he checked into the luxury rehab home where he would later die ... TMZ has learned.

Sources who had contact with Presley in his final hours tell TMZ he did not appear sober when he arrived at the Santa Monica facility Saturday night, while seeking help for substance abuse issues.

As we first reported ... the 27-year-old model was found unresponsive at the home Sunday morning and cops responded to a suspected overdose call around 9:35 AM.

Carrot Top was handed a $2 million demand just days before his attempted suicide ... and within hours, his lawyer was telling the court the comedian was being extorted ... TMZ has learned.

TMZ obtained a pair of emails laying out the heated legal battle that unfolded last Monday -- four days before Carrot Top was hospitalized.

In the first message, Brian Evans -- whom Carrot Top's team has accused of extortion -- proposed a $2 million deal to end the legal fight involving himself, Carrot Top -- real name Scott Thompson -- and several others.

Police investigating Presley Gerber's suspected overdose interviewed other people living at the rehab facility where he died as they try to find the source of the alleged drugs that potentially killed him ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the investigation tell TMZ ... the probe is in its early stages, but one of the first orders of business is finding out if Presley took drugs, and where he got them.

We're told authorities are looking into whether or not Presley was prescribed the drugs he allegedly took or if he got them from a dealer or friend ... and finding the potential source is key.

Our sources say cops have already conducted interviews with folks who were at the rehab facility when he died.

Presley Gerber was living at a rehab facility in Santa Monica before his death Sunday ... and TMZ has details of the recovery program offered at the facility.

The rehab website describes its Santa Monica operation as a "structured recovery residence," rather than a traditional hospital or detox center.

According to the company's website, the program is designed for people transitioning out of more intensive treatment and trying to rebuild their lives in a supervised, sober environment.

The program specifically works with people dealing with substance abuse issues, mental-health conditions, trauma, eating disorders, and co-occurring disorders.

Carrot Top was hospitalized following a suspected overdose from prescription pills ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for the Clark County Fire Department tells TMZ ... crews responded to the comedian's Las Vegas home around 4:20 PM Friday after receiving a call about a 61-year-old male who was "not alert."

We're told a City of Las Vegas ambulance and a private ambulance responded. Carrot Top's condition was unknown at the scene, and he was transported to a hospital by the private ambulance.

Sources familiar with the investigation tell TMZ ... Carrot Top took prescription medication before suffering the suspected overdose.

Presley Gerber may have hoped to fend off his addiction issues with ibogaine, but one expert says it's not as simple as taking a magic pill ... diving into the realities of the treatment.

Bryan Hubbard, the CEO of Americans for Ibogaine, joined "TMZ Live" Monday to discuss the psychoactive drug that Presley took a few months before his death.

Bryan described the substance for us in detail ... explaining how it's known to rewrite neural pathways -- and give people with addiction a fighting chance against their demons. He also notes a major risk with ibogaine.

Presley Gerber's autopsy has been completed after his suspected overdose ... TMZ has learned.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner performed the autopsy ... and Presley's official cause of death has been deferred.

We broke the story ... Presley died Sunday at a rehab facility at just 27 years old.

Ruby Rose got choked up and was nearly brought to tears while talking about Hayden Panettiere, calling the late actress her "best friend," with whom she spoke on a daily basis.

Rose was interviewed by Entertainment Tonight reporter Denny Directo at Thursday's press day event for season 5 of "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test."

When Directo asked how Hayden should be remembered, Rose suddenly became very emotional, saying the two were best buddies who spoke every day for 5 years.

Tay Keith died from the toxic effects of drugs ... including ketamine and an active ingredient in kratom, TMZ has learned.

According to the Nashville Medical Examiner's Office ... Keith had ketamine and mitragynine in his system when he died. Mitragynine is a chemical compound found in kratom -- a tree from Southeast Asia that affects the brain's opioid receptors.

It's unclear if he was using kratom -- a federally legal substance -- at the time or if he somehow came into contact with the drug another way.

Taylor Frankie Paul's parenting time has been reduced after she allegedly failed multiple court-ordered drug tests amid custody disputes with ex-husband Tate Paul and ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen ... TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar with the case tell TMZ ... Taylor allegedly failed multiple drug tests in the last 60 days. As a result, we're told the court ordered that she be limited to 8 hours of parenting time each week -- four with her 2 kids with Tate, and four with her child with Dakota.

The alleged substances involved remain unclear ... however, we're told at least one of them is not commonly available as a prescription med.

Sources close to Taylor tell TMZ ... there's been a strict gag order in the case, so they view any information leaked to the media as a continuation of the harassment and intimidation Taylor's experienced throughout the custody battle.

Lamar Odom’s girlfriend, Rachel Bradley, is fighting her ex-husband and former MLB star Milton Bradley over the NBA star in court, TMZ has learned.

Rachel filed court docs firing back at Milton’s request for Lamar to stay away from their 7-year-old son Matteo due to the NBA star's past issues with drugs and alcohol.

In her filing, Rachel asked for legal custody of Matteo. She claimed to have had issues communicating with Milton, who she says she has been separated from since November 2025.

Hayden Panettiere's Los Angeles home was searched by federal drug agents shortly after her death ... and we're told investigators were looking for evidence that could link the fatal pill to her drug dealer.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... DEA agents executed a search warrant at Hayden's L.A. residence August 25th -- 9 days after her death -- looking for evidence related to black market controlled substances.

We're told investigators were interested in various drugs Hayden may have been taking ... testing them to see if any were laced with fentanyl.