Robert De Niro’s daughter Drena remembers her ‘sweet wild boy’ Leandro one year after his death at 19

Drena, Robert De Niro’s daughter, keeps the memory of her late son Leandro alive.

On Tuesday, the 56-year-old A Star Is Born actress paid tribute to her child with a heartfelt tribute and photos on Instagram, marking the one-year anniversary of Leandro’s passing at age 19.

“I KNEW this boy was stealing my clothes behind my back!!!” she began in the subtitlesreferring to a photo of the teen who gave him a cheerful look. ‘Today we celebrated the sweet, wild boy Leo..

“In your short time here, you have made the world a better place. You are deeply loved as the sun loves the moon and the moon loves the sea.”

Drena continued: ‘Thank you to everyone who has held me, @carlosmare and our family in your arms and hearts during the darkest days. I can only hope I can pass it on.. #cantspelllovewithoutleo’

Leandro’s death was ruled an accident, caused by a “toxic” combination of illegal drugs including fentanyl, bromazolam, alprazolam, 7-aminoclonazepam, ketamine and cocaine; pictured with mother Drena and grandfather Robert

Leandro was found dead on July 2, 2023, by a friend, sitting in a chair in his New York City apartment.

His death was ruled an accident, caused by a ‘toxic’ combination of illegal drugsincluding fentanyl, bromazolam, alprazolam, 7-aminoclonazepam, ketamine, and cocaine.

Sofia Haley Marks, 20, was arrested in connection with the overdose last July and is facing federal charges of drug distribution.

Drena, who shared Leandro with artist Carlos Rodriguez, announced their son’s death on Instagram: ‘My beautiful sweet angel. I have loved you without words or descriptions, from the moment I felt you in my belly.

‘You are my joy, my heart and everything that was ever pure and real in my life. I wish I was with you now. I wish I was with you.

She continued: ‘I don’t know how to live without you, but I will try to carry on and spread the love and light that you made me feel when I was your mother.

“You were so incredibly loved and appreciated and I wish only love could have saved you. I am so sorry my baby, I am so sorry @carlosmare. Rest in peace and eternal paradise my sweet boy,” Drena added.

Carlos wrote in his own post: ‘Words fail to express the joy he gave us, or the loss we now experience together with our family and friends.

“He is God’s child now. On this full moon his spirit illuminates what was unseen in the dark,” he added. “You can’t spell LOVE without LEO.”

“In your short time here you have made the world a better place. You are deeply loved as the sun loves the moon and the moon loves the sea,” she wrote

“I KNEW this boy was stealing my clothes behind my back!!!” she began in the caption, referencing a photo of the teen giving me a funny look

“Today we celebrate sweet wild boy Leo. In your short time here you have made the world a better place,” Drena wrote. “You are loved deeply like the sun loves the moon and the moon loves the sea.”

Robert adopted Drena in 1976 when he married her mother Diahnne Abbott. The couple divorced in 1988 after having another child

Robert, 80, spoke candidly about the “terrible” tragedy of his grandson’s death in an interview with People in February.

“It’s just a shock,” he said, recalling hearing the tragic news in “disbelief.”[I] Never thought it would happen.’

“And then I started thinking about all the things I could have done with him, should have done,” the Oscar winner continued. “I don’t know if it would have made a difference. And so that’s always in my mind.”

The Killers of the Flower Moon actor added: “It shouldn’t have happened.”

He adopted Drena in 1976 when he married her mother Diahnne Abbott. The couple divorced in 1988 after having another child.

Robert has five other children, including a daughter named Gia, whom he welcomed in April with his girlfriend Tiffany Chen, 45, whom he has been dating since the summer of 2021.