Robert De Niro’s daughter, Drena De Niro, opens up about the heartbreaking loss of her son, Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, and how profoundly the tragedy changed her life.
Nearly two years after his death, she shared new details about the times leading up to it, her battle with drugs and the aftermath that still affects her today.
Leandro died in 2023 after unknowingly taking pills containing fentanyl.
Drena said Page six that her son was trying to get help and didn’t really understand what he had been exposed to.
“It was very sad for me because he wanted help,” she said.
“He knew he was overwhelmed. I don’t even think he knew why. I think he had been exposed to much harder drugs that he didn’t know existed.”
Shortly after his death, she wrote on Instagram that “someone sold her pills that they knew were laced with fentanyl but sold them to her anyway.”
Months later, New York City’s chief medical examiner confirmed that the 19-year-old died from a deadly combination of fentanyl, bromazolam, alprazolam, 7-aminoclonazepam, ketamine and cocaine.
In October, five people were arrested in connection with the case, but Drena admitted the news was not easy to process.
She described it as “really strange” and “so bittersweet because you don’t feel happier.”
She hopes the legal process will lead to accountability, adding: “I hope they get justice. If you’re selling drugs to young people, it doesn’t matter if you’re successful, whether you know it or not, you’re taking a risk.”
Even then, she said she didn’t want to destroy another young life, saying, “I’m not interested in ruining the life of a 24-year-old.”
Drena also reflected on her son’s personality and the bond they shared. “He was just an amazing kid, he was so smart,” she said.
Losing him was instant devastation. She recalled the moment she found out, saying, “That detective stood there, and the whole world as I knew it fell apart. »
She talked about how close they were and how her son gave her a sense of identity beyond being Robert De Niro’s daughter.
“We were extremely close,” she said. He also had a special relationship with his famous grandfather, and she described him as “a pure soul.”
This year, Drena and Robert launched the Leandro De Niro Rodriguez Foundation to support families affected by the fentanyl crisis and expand access to care.
She said part of her mission is to protect other families from the same pain they are carrying now.
“It was really painful and shocking and violent to have his story go so viral, to hear people’s horrible thoughts,” she said, explaining that she refused to let her legacy make headlines.
“It won’t be a horrible soundbite.”
His goal today is to keep Leandro’s story alive in a way that helps others and to ensure that conscience and compassion come before judgment.
