The grieving father of Robert De Niro’s grandson Leandro paid tribute to him after his 18-year-old death.
Drena, 51, and artist Carlos Rodriguez had Leandro.
Drena revealed his death on Instagram Sunday, stating, “I wish that love alone could have saved you.”
His father, an artist, stated, “Words aren’t enough to express the joy he gave us or the loss we now endure with our families and friends.” It is unclear how the boy died. God’s child. His energy illuminates the dark on this full moon.
Drena wrote: ‘My darling sweet angel. I have loved you since I felt you in my belly. You were my heart, joy, and everything pure and real in my life. I wish we were together. I miss you.”
Drena “continued: ‘I don’t know how to live without you but I’ll try to carry on and spread the love and light that you so made me feel in getting to be your mama.
I” “wish love could have saved you. Sorry @carlosmare, my baby”. My lovely boy, rest in eternal paradise.
Leandro’s father added: ‘Words aren’t adequate to explain the joy he provided us or the sadness we now endure with our families and friends.
God’s child. His energy illuminates the dark on this full moon.
Drena wrote: ‘My darling sweet angel. I have loved you since I felt you in my belly. You were my heart, joy, and everything pure and real in my life. I wish we were together. I miss you.”
Drena continued: ‘I don’t know how to live without you but I’ll try to carry on and spread the love and light that you so made me feel in getting to be your mama.
I wish love could have saved you. Sorry @carlosmare, my baby. My lovely boy, rest in eternal paradise.
Leandro’s father added: ‘Words aren’t adequate to explain the joy he provided us or the sadness we now endure with our families and friends.
God’s child. His energy illuminates the dark on this full moon.
‘”Drena don’t tell me it’s true tell me you’re joking because I can’t believe Leo isn’t with us anymore,’ one pal wrote.
It’s” awful. I love you, Drena, Carlos, and your family.
Drena replied: ‘”I know I still believe this is a nightmare and I’ll wake up tomorrow.’
After Leandro’s” death, John Gotti’s daughter Victoria said she was “heartbroken” and had “no words.”
‘You were such a lively gorgeous pleasant and amazing small child who developed into an incredible young man! May you rest, my beloved kid, and I was happy to have celebrated thanksgiving with you—such a brilliant, clever, and well-mannered young guy. A premature death.
“Shocked!” wrote actress Rosie Perez Brooklyn. So sorry! We’re with you! Lee Daniels wrote, ‘Drena may God keep you in his arms.’
MailOnline reached out to De Niro’s agents.
Leandro, an aspiring actor and director, appeared in “A Star Is Born, Cabaret Maxime, and The Collection”.
After marrying Diahnne Abbott in 1976, De Niro adopted Drena, who assumed his surname.
Her father’s career took her to New York City, Los Angeles, and Italy.
Drena posted a touching Mother’s Day tribute on Instagram weeks before her son’s death.
Drena and Leandro smiled for a selfie and posed with Carlos Rodriguez, Leandro’s father.
‘Mothers Day ~ A Lil bit of Leo’ read the May 15 entry. Mare, Sunny, CleoPipa, #AliceDoesntLiveHereAnymore. Many Daisy memories. Today was great #happymothersday.
Drena quit school to pursue modeling, DJing, and fashion consulting.
She became an actor and filmmaker after following De Niro.
She appeared in her father’s films “On The Run (1999), City By The Sea (2002), and Showtime (2002).
De Niro” remained in Drena’s life after his 1988 divorce from her mother.
In 2003, she gave De Niro a grandson, Leandro, with her then-boyfriend Carlos Rodriguez.
In New York, Drena directs and practices Muay Thai and martial arts.
Drena, 51, is five years older than Raphael, De Niro’s oldest biological kid with Abbott. He’s a 46-year-old Manhattan estate agent who’s represented Jon Bon Jovi and Renee Zellweger.
De Niro has twins Aaron and Julian, 27, from his 1988–1995 romance with Toukie Smith. In vitro fertilization and surrogacy produced them.
During his rocky 20-year marriage to former flight attendant Grace Hightower, he had a son, Elliot, 21, and a daughter, Helen, 11, via surrogate.
The 79-year-old actor, who has been dating Tiffany Chan, 43, since summer 2021, had his seventh kid, Gia Virginia, in May.
Gia was born April 6 at 8 pounds and 6 ounces.
At the Tribeca Film Festival in June, De Niro said, ‘It feels amazing.’
The Goodfellas actor remarked, ‘I have some understanding – when you’re older you have awareness of certain things in life, dynamics, everything, familial dynamics.’
‘You can’t escape learning certain things and how to cope with those and manage them and this and that, the usual,’ he said.
I’m thrilled.
The actor told Page Six that his seventh child was ‘planned’ and asked ‘How you could not plan that kind of thing?’ after the news broke.