At her son Leandro’s wake on Thursday after he passed away at the age of 19, Robert De Niro made an emotional appearance alongside his daughter, Drena De Niro.
The Goodfellas actor, 79, was seen with Drena and her ex-husband, Carlos Rodriguez, as they said farewell to their kid as they arrived at the Frank E. Campbell funeral home on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
De Niro attempted to cover his face with a newspaper as he entered the funeral home, but Drena and Carlos arrived hand-in-hand and presented a united front. The Taxi Driver star was seen walking to a waiting automobile after the wake while wearing a sad expression.
After the tragic day, both parents paid tribute to their kids. Drena, who was raised by De Niro and his ex-wife Diahnne Abbott after being adopted in 1976, posted an emotional caption along with a picture of Leandro when he was younger carrying a guitar.
“Today and always, we celebrate you, my sweetheart. We are grateful for everyone’s prayers, good thoughts, and loving support as we struggle through this terrible time. Thank you Julie for this lovely picture of Leo,” she wrote.
“If you knew him, you would know,” Leandro’s father wrote. “While grieving, our loved ones will always remember him. Leo was a vibrant young guy who enjoyed life, his family, and his friends. He also had a keen interest in the outside world.”
“Leo was a prolific and gifted high-level coder who wanted to use his skills for something more meaningful than the social media chaos he despised.”
“Leo wanted to travel the world; he was a seeker who, acting alone, traveled numerous nations in order to eat with strangers and engage in intellectual discussion about issues older than himself. Because a young heart searches for its place at this age and period, he was also a young man with a story and journey that were unknown to us and to his companions.”
Carlos concluded: “@drenadeniro and I are thankful for all who are supporting family, friends, and strangers’ families that have also lost a soul too soon.”
Earlier this week, Drena said that her son died after taking pills laced with fentanyl, a powerful opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.
“Someone sold him fentanyl-laced pills that they knew were laced yet still sold them to him,” the 51-year-old wrote in response to someone on Instagram who asked Leandro’s cause of death.
“So for all these people still [expletive] around selling and buying this [expletive], my son is gone forever,” she added.
Following his grandson’s death, De Niro issued a statement which read: “I’m deeply distressed by the passing of my beloved grandson Leo. We’re greatly appreciative of the condolences from everyone. We ask that we please be given privacy to grieve our loss of Leo.”