Leandro De Niro Rodriguez died after an accidental overdose in July 2023.
Robert De Niro still feels "disbelief" over his grandson's death. In an interview with People, the 80-year-old actor speaks out about the "awful" tragedy of Leandro De Niro Rodriguez's July 2023 death following an accidental overdose.
"It's just a shock. [I] never thought it would happen," De Niro tells the outlet. "And I just then started thinking about all the things I could have, should have done maybe with him. I don't know if that would've made a difference. And so that's always playing through my mind. It shouldn't have happened."
Weeks after Rodriguez's overdose, a suspected drug dealer was arrested in connection with his death.
According to the outlet, which obtained the criminal complaint, 21-year-old Sophia Marks was charged with one count of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and alprazolam and two counts of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl. The charges each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Rodriguez, who was 19 at the time of his death, was the son of De Niro's daughter, Drena De Niro, and Carlos Rodriguez. The actor's daughter defended her late son after his cause of death -- the toxic effects of fentanyl, bromazolam, alprazolam, 7-aminoclonazepam, ketamine and cocaine -- was made public.
"I see that many people feel it's necessary to place the blame on my son for using the drugs, to me as his mother for being hurt, shocked and angry at the sudden loss of my only child and even on his grandfather, whom many seem to think possesses a direct connection or influence on how the U.S. borders are operated," she wrote on Instagram. "Now I know there is no way to reason with stupidity or ignorance but I will say that as long as we keep blaming the addict and the person suffering mental illness we are going to continue to see more of this."
She added of Leandro, "My son suffered tremendously through the pandemic as maybe many of your kids had but sadly addiction took over in the last year and eventually killed him. When you decide to comment on people's misfortune and loss at least really think about the emotional and mental fragility of the people you're attacking online."
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