Actor Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, Robert De Niro‘s teenage grandson, has died, his family announced Monday.
Rodriguez’s mother Drena De Niro mourned her son in an Instagram post Monday, calling him “my beautiful sweet angel” who she loved “beyond words or description.”
“You have been my joy my heart and all that was ever pure and real in my life,” she said. “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.”
Rodriguez’s father, artist Carlos Mare, posted a black image on his Instagram pages, and he reacted to his son’s death in a response to Drena De Niro’s post.
“Words aren’t enough to express the joy he gave us or the loss we now endure with our families and friends,” Mare said. “He is Godschild now. On this full moon his spirit luminates what could not be seen in the dark. You can’t spell LOVE without LEO.”
Robert De Niro said he was “deeply distressed” by the death of “my beloved grandson Leo,” in a statement provided to CBS News.
“We’re greatly appreciative of the condolences from everyone. We ask that we please be given privacy to grieve our loss of Leo,” De Niro said.
Asked about Rodriguez’s death, a New York City Police Department spokesperson told CBS News police went to a building in lower Manhattan on Sunday afternoon in response to a 911 call. An 18-year-old man was found unconscious and unresponsive, and he was pronounced dead by emergency medical services, according to the statement provided to CBS News. Some news outlets have reported Rodriguez recently turned 19.
The city’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner would determine the cause of death, the police spokesperson said.
Rodriguez and his mother appeared in the 2018 movies “A Star Is Born” and “Cabaret Maxime.” He was also credited with an appearance in 2005’s “The Collection.”
Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.
Create your free account or log in
for more features.
