George Clooney Breaks Silence on Presley Gerber’s Death: ‘The Worst Thing That Could Ever Happen to a Family’

George Clooney addressed the death of Presley Gerber while attending the Albies in London with wife Amal Clooney on Oct. 9

Clooney and Rande Gerber have been longtime business partners through their Casamigos tequila brand

A source recently told PEOPLE that George and Amal had been "taking shifts" and spending time with the family so that they are "not alone" in their grief

George Clooney is grieving following Presley Gerber 's death.

George, 65, made his first comments about Presley, the son of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber , in an interview with Entertainment Tonight at the Albies, hosted by The Clooney Foundation of Justice and held at the Natural History Museum in London on Friday, Oct. 9.

"Is there a special way that you and the Gerbers are planning to are hoping to honor his legacy?" a reporter asked him.

"I don't think it's... we're even in the position of being able to talk about it," George replied. "Quite honestly, one of the most devastating things that's happened to our family and their family is just, as you can imagine."

"It's the worst thing that could ever happen to a family," George added.

A source recently told PEOPLE that George and his wife Amal Clooney were "taking shifts" with the Gerbers so that "they aren't alone" in the wake of Presley's death.

George, who is Rande's business partner in the tequila brand Casamigos, is "family," the source close to Crawford said.

"George and Amal joined the family in Los Angeles after learning of Presley's death," the source told PEOPLE. "They're helping with arrangements and whatever else the family needs. George has always been very close with both Kaia and Presley."

Gerber died of an apparent overdose and cardiac arrest on Sept. 20. Santa Monica police records indicate a call for an overdose on the morning of Sept. 20 at a Santa Monica-area facility. The dispatch call also noted cardiac arrest.

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Prior to his death, Presley had been open about his mental health struggles and his addiction recovery journey.

"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 on the Studio 22 podcast in 2023.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.