Grandson of Famous Actor Dead at 19, Was Found Next to a Plate with 'White Powdery Substance'
Hollywood actor Robert De Niro’s teen grandson was found dead on Sunday afternoon in New York City.
Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, 19, had not been heard from for several days when a concerned friend made the decision to go to his Manhattan apartment to check on him.
According to TMZ, Leandro was found lifeless in a chair in his one-bedroom apartment alone on Wall Street.
Police also said there were no apparent signs of trauma to his body.
A police source told the U.K. Daily Mail the young man was found near a plate with a “white powdery substance” on it.
Officers did not speculate as to what the substance might have been or how they believed the 19-year-old died.
Leandro’s mother, Drena De Niro, 51, was adopted by the “Goodfellas” star in 1976 when he married her mother Diahnne Abbott.
De Niro and Abbott divorced in 1988, but Robert De Niro reportedly remained close to his adopted daughter and his grandson.
The 79-year-old commented on Leandro’s death in a statement obtained by the Mail.
“I’m deeply distressed by the passing of my beloved grandson Leo,” he said.
The actor added, “We’re greatly appreciative of the condolences from everyone. We ask that we please be given privacy to grieve our loss of Leo.”
Drena De Niro posted a memorial to the young man on her Instagram page late Sunday evening.
“My beautiful sweet angel … I have loved you beyond words or description from the moment I felt you in my belly,” she wrote. “You have been my joy my heart and all that was ever pure and real in my life.”
Drena De Niro added, “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 I’m so sorry my baby.”
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She also tagged Leandro’s father, artist Carlos Rodriguez.
“Rest in Peace and Eternal Paradise my darling boy,” the grieving mother concluded.
Drena De Niro was flooded with comments offering her and her family condolences.
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