On July 2, the taxi driver’s grandfather’s 19-year-old grandson died.
Robert De Niro and his daughter Drena De Niro attended her son Leandro’s wake on Thursday after he passed away at the age of 19.
The Goodfellas actor, 79, was spotted with Drena and her ex-husband, Carlos Rodriguez, as they said goodbye to their child and arrived at the Frank E. on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, the Campbell funeral home.
As De Niro entered the funeral home, he made an attempt to cover his face with a newspaper, but Drena and Carlos arrived together and put on a united front. After the wake, the Taxi Driver actor was seen with a sad face making his way to an waiting car.
Both parents paid their children tribute following the tragic day. Drena, who was adopted in 1976 and was raised by De Niro and his ex-wife Diahnne Abbott, posted an emotional caption alongside a photo of Leandro when he was younger and holding a guitar.
“We honor you, my sweetheart, today and always. In order to get through this terrible time, we are sincerely appreciative of everyone’s prayers, good vibes, and loving support. I want to express my gratitude to Julie for taking this beautiful photo of Leo.
The letter from Leandro’s father read, “If you knew him, you would know.”. “Although they are in mourning, our loved ones will never forget him. Leo was a young man of energy who loved his friends, family, and life. He was also very interested in the outside world. ”.
Leo was a prolific and talented high-level coder who desired to put his talents to use for something more significant than the chaos of social media. ”.
“Leo wanted to see the world; he was a seeker who, traveling alone, visited many countries in order to eat with strangers and have intellectual conversations about issues that were more complex than himself. He was also a young man with a story and journey that were unknown to us and to his companions because a young heart is still searching for its place at this age and time. ”.
In his closing statement, Carlos said, “@drenadeniro and I are grateful to everyone who is helping the families of people we know as well as strangers who have also lost a loved one too soon. ”.
Earlier this week, Drena claimed that her son had died after taking pills laced with fentanyl, an extremely potent opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.
In response to a question on Instagram about Leandro’s cause of death, the 51-year-old wrote, “Someone sold him fentanyl-laced pills that they knew were laced yet still sold them to him.”.
So my son is gone forever for all these people still selling and buying this [expletive], she continued.
“I’m deeply distressed by the passing of my beloved grandson Leo,” De Niro said in a statement he released after his grandson’s passing. All of your condolences have been greatly appreciated. Please give us some space so that we can mourn Leo’s passing in private. ”.
