Robert De Niro, 79, is mourning the death of his 19-year-old grandson Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, whose passing was confirmed by Robert’s daughter Drena De Niro. “I’m deeply distressed by the passing of my beloved grandson Leo,” the Academy Award winner said in a statement to HollywoodLife on July 3. “We’re greatly appreciative of the condolences from everyone. We ask that we please be given privacy to grieve our loss of Leo,” Robert added.
Drena, 41, also mourned her son in a statement to HollywoodLife. “It is with immeasurable shock and sadness that we say goodbye to our beloved son Leo.
We thank you for the outpouring of love and support and ask that we are given privacy at this time to process this inconsolable grief,” she said.
Leandro’s cause of death still has not been revealed. The teenager was one of Robert’s four grandchildren and Drena’s only child. Drena shared the tragic news of her son’s passing in a July 2 statement she shared on Instagram. “My beautiful sweet angel. I have loved you beyond words or description from the moment I felt you in my belly,” she wrote in her heartbreaking message. “You have been my joy my heart and all that was ever pure and real in my life. 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,” Drena added. “You were so deeply loved and appreciated and I wish that love alone could have saved you. I’m so sorry my baby, I’m so sorry @carlosmare. Rest in Peace and Eternal Paradise my darling boy.” Drena shared her son with New York-based artist Carlos Mare.
Drena is the daughter of Robert and his ex-wife Diahnne Abbott. The Raging Bull actor adopted Drena after he married Diahnne in 1976. Like his grandfather, Leandro was an actor. Leandro was seen on the big screen most recently in the 2018 hit movie A Star Is Born which his mother also appeared in. Leandro played Leo Stone, the son of Dave Chappelle‘s George “Noodles” Stone (Jackson Maine’s best friend) and Drena’s Paulette Stone. His additional credits included the 2005 movie The Collection and the 2018 movie Cabaret Maxime.