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0 Robert De Niro‘s grandson Leandro De Niro Rodriguez appeared in a heartbreaking final social media post shared by his mother Drena.
Drena, 51, announced the tragic loss of her 19-year-old son on Monday, not revealing his cause of death but declaring ‘I wish that love alone could have saved you.’
The adopted daughter of Hollywood star Robert had taken to Instagram weeks prior to praise her son, sharing a sweet post in May for Mother’s Day.
In the snaps, Drena could be seen beaming alongside Leandro for a selfie, with another shot showing the pair posing with Leandro’s father Carlos Rodriguez.
The post from May 15 post was captioned: ‘Mothers Day ~ A Lil bit of Leo Lil bit of Mare , Lots of Sunny & CleoPipa #AliceDoesntLiveHereAnymore. Lots of memories of my soulmate ,fur baby Daisy. Today was a good day ✨♥️ #happymothersday.’
Final post: Robert De Niro ‘s grandson Leandro De Niro Rodriguez appeared in a heartbreaking final social media post shared by his mother Drena on Mother’s Day
Family: The adopted daughter of Hollywood star Robert had taken to Instagram to praise her son, sharing a sweet post with the teenager and his father Carlos Rodriguez in May
Drena announced her son’s tragic death on Monday, sharing a picture of her son captioned: ‘My beautiful sweet angel. I have loved you beyond words or description from the moment I felt you in my belly.
‘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.’
Drena continued: ‘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. I’m so sorry my baby, I’m so sorry @carlosmare. Rest in Peace and Eternal Paradise my darling boy.’
She was immediately flooded with messages of condolences, with one friend commenting: ‘Drena don’t tell me it’s true tell me you’re joking because I can’t believe leo isn’t with us anymore. It’s an horrible news to digest. Drena my heart is with you and Carlos and your loved ones – I love you ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️’
Drena responded: ‘I know I still hope this is a nightmare and I’ll wake up tomorrow.’
Leandro’s father Carlos did not pay a public tribute to his late son but shared an image of a black square on his Instagram page without a caption.
MailOnline has contacted De Niro’s representatives for comment.
Heartbreaking: Leandro was the son of De Niro’s adopted daughter Drena and artist Carlos Mare, with Drena paying tribute to her late son in a heartfelt Instagram post on Monday
Tragic news: Drena, 51, announced the tragic loss of her 19-year-old son on Monday, not revealing his cause of death but declaring ‘I wish that love alone could have saved you’ (Leonardo pictured with Drena and grandfather Robert)
Grieving: Carlos did not pay a public tribute to his late son but shared an image of a black square on his Instagram page without a caption
Aspiring actor and director Leandro was following in his mother and grandfather’s career footsteps, landing small roles in 2018’s A Star Is Born and Cabaret Maxime and 2005’s The Collection.
His mother Drena was adopted by De Niro, and took his surname, after the actor married her mother, Diahnne Abbott, in 1976.
She had a relatively transient lifestyle thanks to her father’s vibrant career and split her time between New York City, Los Angeles, and Italy.
Drena left school and decided to explore the arts, turning her hand to a whole host of career paths including model, DJ and fashion consultant.
She eventually decided to follow in De Niro’s footsteps and soon found her feet as an actress and filmmaker.
Her first role was in Allison Anders’s Grace of My Heart in 1996 and she went on to star in several of her father’s films including 1999’s On The Run, 2002’s City By The Sea and 2002’s Showtime.
De Niro split with Drena’s mother in 1988 but the Hollywood A-lister remained in her life nonetheless.
She made De Niro a grandfather in 2003 when she welcomed Leandro with her then-boyfriend Carlos Rodriguez.
Drena, who currently lives in New York, has since turned her attentions to directing and also describes herself as being trained in Muay Thai and martial arts.
At 51, Drena is five years older than his oldest biological child, Raphael, with Abbott. Now 46, he’s a Manhattan estate agent whose celebrity clients have included Jon Bon Jovi and Renee Zellweger.
Parents: De Niro adopted Diahnne Abbott’s daughter after the pair married in 1976 (pictured together in New York in 1977)
De Niro also has two children — twins Aaron and Julian — from his relationship between 1988 and 1995 with former model and actress Toukie Smith. They were conceived by in vitro fertilisation and delivered by a surrogate mother.
In 1998, he also had a son, Elliot, and in 2011, a daughter, Helen, (also born via surrogate) during his stormy 20-year marriage to his second wife, former flight attendant Grace Hightower.
In May, the 79-year-old actor confirmed that he’d welcomed his seventh child.
There has been no official confirmation of the mother’s identity but his significantly younger girlfriend, Tiffany Chen, 43, was photographed prior with what appeared to be a baby bump.
