Robert De Niro's daughter, Drena De Niro, is "broken forever" by the sudden death of her 19-year-old son.
Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez was found dead over the weekend in what cops are probing as a possible overdose, the New York Post reported.
Drena De Niro wrote a heartfelt tribute Monday on Instagram to her son in which she recalled holding him for the last time.
"I can barely type through my tears but all the love, the messages, calls, texts, emails, the friends and family that held me up these last 24 hrs I've not been able to respond yet but we're grateful for the all your love and condolences," she wrote.
"None of this is right or fair and my heart hurts in a way I never knew possible while still breathing and barely functioning. Leo my darling I love you today like the first day I held you in my arms."
Drena De Niro went on to describe how "the same man that picked us up from the hospital when you were born drove us to the funeral home where I touched and held you for the last time."
"I can't believe any of this is real YOU made everything bearable and every burden lighter. You didn't deserve to die like this but I can only believe that God needed a strong powerful angel in their army," she continued.
Concluding her post, Drena De Niro wrote that her heart was "broken forever," tagging Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez's father Carlos Rodriguez.
Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez was found dead Sunday inside an apartment in Lower Manhattan where he was house-sitting. A friend went to check on him after not hearing from him for several days and made the tragic discovery, according to the Post.
The police are looking into the death as a potential overdose.
When they arrived at the scene, police found his lifeless body seated in a chair next to a white powdery substance, suspected to be cocaine. Additionally, there were unidentified pills and drug paraphernalia nearby.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.