Robert De Niro's family has a sad update to share. In an emotional Instagram post made on Sunday, Robert's daughter Drena announced that her son, Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, is dead at 19. Here's everything we know about the heartbreaking situation so far.
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Drena shared a photo of her son at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Calling him her "beautiful sweet angel," Drena — who is the daughter of Robert and his first wife, Diahnne Abbott — wrote about her love for her son, her only child.
"You have been my joy my heart and all that was ever pure and real in my life," she wrote. "I wish I was with you right now. I wish I was with you. I don’t know how to live without you but I’ll try to go on and spread the love and light that you so made me feel in getting to be your mama. You were so deeply loved and appreciated and I wish that love alone could have saved you."
His father also paid tribute to the young man.
Leandro's father, artist Carlos Mare, shared a blacked-out square on his own Instagram account without a caption.
In a comment on Drena's original post, Carlos wrote, "words aren’t enough to express the joy he gave us or the loss we now endure with our families and friends. He is God's child now. On this full moon his spirit luminates what could not be seen in the dark. You can’t spell LOVE without LEO."
Leandro was found dead on Sunday afternoon.
According to The Daily Mail, Leandro was sitting in a chair inside New York City's Cipriani Club Residences. He lived in the buidling. A police source told the newspaper that a white powdery substance was found nearby and that there were no signs of trauma. So far, the investigation into his death appears to be ongoing.
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Leandro had done a bit of acting in his short life.
Not much is known about Leandro's private life, but it does seem that he'd been dabbling in the family business from a young age. Both Leandro and his mother appeared in the 2018 movie A Star is Born after they also acted together in Cabaret Maxime the same year, along with The Collection in 2005.
His famous grandfather has released a statement.
"I’m deeply distressed by the passing of my beloved grandson Leo," Robert shared in a statement Monday, according to the Daily Mail. "We’re greatly appreciative of the condolences from everyone. We ask that we please be given privacy to grieve our loss of Leo."
We're thinking about the family during this difficult time.
