Robert De Niro says he was ‘in disbelief’ when he learned his 19-year-old grandson had died: ‘It shouldn’t have happened’

• Robert De Niro said his 19-year-old grandson’s death was “just a shock.”

• Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez died of a drug overdose in July 2023 after ingesting pills laced with fentanyl.

• “It shouldn’t have happened,” De Niro said in a new interview.

Robert De Niro reflected on his grandson’s tragic death last year and said he felt “disbelief” when he heard the news.

Leandro De Niro Rodríguez was found dead in his apartment in midtown Manhattan on July 2, 2023. He was the son of De Niro’s adopted daughter, Drena, and Carlos Rodríguez, an artist.

In response to a comment on her Instagram post announcing her death, Drena saying her son had died after “someone sold him pills with fentanyl.”

“It’s just a shock,” De Niro said. People In a new interview, he added that he “never thought this would happen.”

According to the actor, the unexpected death of his grandson also made him reflect on what he could have done differently in their relationship.

“And at that moment I started thinking about all the things I could have done, maybe should have done with him,” she said. “I don’t know if that would have made a difference. And that’s always on the back of my mind.”

“It shouldn’t have happened,” De Niro said.

Leandro, who was following in his grandfather’s footsteps as an actor, had credits in several films before his death, including “A Star is Born,” “Cabaret Maxime” and “The Collection.”

De Niro, who welcomed his seventh child Last year, at 79 years old, he issued a statement several days after Drena announced Leandro’s death on Instagram.

“I am deeply saddened by the passing of my beloved grandson Leo,” De Niro said in a statement. People. “We greatly appreciate everyone’s condolences. We ask that we be given privacy to mourn the loss of Leo.”

The New York City medical examiner later determined the teen’s death was accidental and said it was caused by the effects of a drug combination that included fentanyl, ketamine and cocaine. Reported deadline.

A 20-year-old woman was arrested in connection with death less than two weeks later and indicted on drug charges. In it accusationProsecutors accused the woman of selling three counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl and two Xanax tablets to De Niro’s grandson, who died of an overdose after taking one of the oxycodone pills.

Read the original article at Business Insider