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Robert De Niro Felt “Disbelief” After His Grandson’s Overdose Death

Robert De Niro described the shock of losing his 19-year-old grandson, Leandro, and the questions about what he might have done—while saying he could not know whether it would have made a difference.
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Robert De Niro said he felt disbelief when he learned that his 19-year-old grandson, Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, had died. “It’s just a shock,” De Niro told People in an interview published February 7, 2024. He also described wondering whether he could have done more, while acknowledging he could not know whether anything would have changed the outcome.

What De Niro said about his grandson’s death

In the interview with People, published about seven months after Leandro died in July 2023, De Niro spoke about the shock of losing him and the questions that stayed with him. “(I) never thought it would happen,” he said.

De Niro said he found himself thinking about “all the things I could have, should have done maybe with him.” He immediately qualified that thought: “I don’t know if that would’ve made a difference. And so that’s always playing through my mind.”

Those words describe a grandfather’s grief and uncertainty, not an admission that he was responsible for Leandro’s death. De Niro also said, “It shouldn’t have happened.” USA TODAY’s syndicated report and Us Weekly’s coverage reported on the interview.

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Who was Leandro De Niro Rodriguez?

Leandro was 19 when he died. He was the son of Drena De Niro and the grandson of Robert De Niro. The interview reports focused on his family’s loss and De Niro’s response; they do not establish that a different choice by him would have prevented the death.

What was reported about the cause of death?

News reports citing the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner said Leandro died from the toxic effects of fentanyl, bromazolam, alprazolam, 7-aminoclonazepam, ketamine, and cocaine. The death was ruled accidental. Entertainment Tonight reported the medical examiner finding alongside Drena De Niro’s public account that her son had been sold fentanyl-laced pills.

Drena’s statement about the pills is her account; it is distinct from the medical examiner’s determination of cause and manner of death. The finding reported by the outlets does not establish what any seller knew.

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What the interview does—and does not—say

De Niro’s remarks convey shock, sadness, and recurring questions about what he might have done. He also said he did not know whether anything would have made a difference. The interview coverage does not present a prevention message from him, and it offers no basis for assigning blame or claiming that the outcome could have been changed.

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