Robert De Niro has shared his 'disbelief' over the shock death of his grandson, saying it 'shouldn't have happened'.
The Killers of the Flower Moon actor and his family were left heartbroken last year after the death of 19-year-old Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez.
The teen was found dead at his apartment on 2 July 2023, as the New York City chief medical examiner’s office confirmed it was caused by the ‘toxic effects of fentanyl, bromazolam, alprazolam, 7-aminoclonazepam, ketamine, and cocaine’.
Less than two weeks later, New Yorker Sophia Marks was arrested in connection with his death and charged with counts of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and alprazolam.
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US Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement at the time, she sold ‘fake oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl’.
He continued: “At least one of Marks’s counterfeit pills was purchased and taken by a teenager who subsequently died of a suspected overdose. The arrest was critical because, as we allege, Marks knew the pills could kill, and she continued selling them anyway.”
Now, in a recent interview with PEOPLE, De Niro has opened up on his loss, saying the death of his grandson is an ‘awful’ tragedy.
Leonardo was the only son of the actor’s eldest daughter Drena and was beginning to rack up a list of credits, just like his grandad, having appeared in films like 2018’s A Star is Born, Cabaret Maxime and The Collection.
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De Niro was in ‘disbelief’ when he heard the tragic news.
“It’s just a shock, [I] never thought it would happen,” he said.
The dad-of-seven then expressed regret, adding: “And I just then started thinking about all the things I could have, should have done maybe with him.
“I don't know if that would've made a difference. And so that's always playing through my mind.”
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The Goodfellas actor says Leonardo’s death simply ‘shouldn’t have happened’.
Leonardo’s mum also featured in A Star Is Born and recently marked seven months since his death.
She wrote on Instagram that it’s been seven months of ‘tears, anger, sadness and regret’.
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Drena added: “Life is completely empty without you. Life isn’t fair nor did it ever promise to be fair, and I try to figure out how to accept that every day. I just wait quietly and patiently like a ghost until when I will be with you again.”
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Featured Image Credit: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for FIJI Water / Instagram/@drenadeniroTopics: Celebrity, Robert De Niro, US News