Robert De Niro’s 19-year-old grandson, Elliot, died from fentanyl-laced pills, his daughter, Dr. Helen Grace Robbins, said in a statement on Saturday.
“Elliot was a beautiful, talented young man with so much to offer the world,” Robbins said. “He was loved by so many and his loss is a devastating tragedy. We are heartbroken and ask for privacy during this time of grief.”
On July 3, Drena De Niro and her father, actor Robert De Niro, announced that her son, Leandro Anthony De Niro-Rodriguez, had died at the age of 19. At that time, the cause of death was not shared.
However, Drena De Niro replied to a person who asked how he died on her Instagram post.
“Someone sold him fentanyl laced pills that they knew were laced yet still sold them to him,” Drena De Niro wrote. “So for all these people still f—— around selling and buying this s—, my son is gone forever.”
Reps for Robert De Niro did not immediately respond to the media’s request for comment regarding his daughter’s posts.
The actor, however, did provide a statement to NBC News announcing his grandson’s death on July 3, saying: “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.”
“None of this is right or fair and my heart hurts in a way I never knew possible while still breathing and barely functioning,” Drena De Niro wrote. “You didn’t deserve to die like this but I can only believe that God needed a strong powerful angel in their army. I’m holding you every second of every moment I’m my heart and memories until I’m with you again. My heart is broken forever.”
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is often mixed with other drugs, such as cocaine or heroin. It can be deadly even in small doses.
Robert De Niro’s 19-year-old grandson died after being sold fentanyl-laced pills, the teen's mother, Drena De Niro says. https://t.co/GUh0mw7zgw
— NBC News (@NBCNews) July 6, 2023
