On Sunday night, actress and producer Drena de Niro, eldest daughter of fellow interpreters Robert de Niro and Diahnne Abbott (the star’s first wife), sadly announced the death of her eldest son Leandro, whom they nicknamed “I Read.” The young man was only 19 years old, and the reasons for his death have not been made public at this time. All that is known is that the New York emergency services went to the scene of the crime, his Manhattan home, around two-thirty in the afternoon on July 2 and found the young man “unconscious and unresponsive,” according to People magazine.
On her Instagram account, Drena de Niro wrote a long and emotional text in front of her 21,000 followers along with a photo of the young lion. “My beautiful sweet angel, I loved you beyond words from the moment I felt you inside me. You were my joy, my heart and everything that was ever pure and real in my life. I wish I was with you now I wished I was with you. I don’t know how to live without you, but I will try to move on and spread the love and light that you gave me just by being your mother. You were deeply loved and cherished and I wish love had saved you. I’m so sorry, my love, I’m so sorry. Rest in peace and in paradise forever, my dear child,” the publication explained, the supporting actress of shows like Mozart in the Jungle and movies like Joy and A Star Is Born, in which the very same Leo had a cameo where he was Drena’s son played .
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In her post, Drena also quoted Carlos Mare, a New York-based sculptor and artist and the young man’s father. “My dear Drena, words are not enough to express the joy you have brought us or the loss we are now enduring with our families and friends. Now he is a son of God,” he replied. “On this full moon, may your spirit illuminate what darkness does not allow us to see.”
Hours after learning of Leo’s death, De Niro issued a statement himself, through his representatives. “I am deeply saddened by the passing of my dear grandson Leo,” the actor begins his brief note. “We are enormously grateful for everyone’s condolences. “We ask that we have privacy to mourn the loss of Leo,” People magazine said in a statement. Drena De Niro also sent out a statement Monday, explaining that Leo was fired “with immeasurable shock and sadness.” “We thank you for the constant expressions of your love and support,” he said, again asking for privacy. Models Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista, actresses like Rosie Perez and Debi Mazar, and singers like Lenny Kravitz wrote messages of condolence on Drena’s Instagram post.
De Niro is the father of seven children. Drena is the eldest of them all and has a brother, Raphael, 46, also an appraiser and now a famous broker. Both are the result of the Raging Bull actor’s marriage to fellow actress Diahnne Abbott, to whom he was married between 1976 and 1988. In fact, Drena is the daughter of Abbott’s previous relationship, but De Niro adopted her and gave her his last name. After the divorce, the interpreter dated model and actress Toukie Smith, with whom he had twins in 1995, two boys named Julian and Aaron, who are now 27. Shortly thereafter, he began dating Grace Hightower, whom he married in 1997 and with whom he also had two children, Elliot, now 24, and Helen Grace, 11, born to a surrogate. It was five years ago, in 2018, that De Niro and Hightower announced their separation after two decades of marriage. A Hollywood-style divorce: long, media, and expensive. She asked for more than $500 million, half of his fortune. In addition, De Niro recently surprised by announcing that at the age of 79 he had become a father for the seventh time. “I just had a baby!” she gushed in an interview while promoting her latest movie.