Robert De Niro’s daughter Drena attended her father’s 80th birthday celebration in NYC on Thursday – seven weeks after the tragic death of her son Leandro aged 19.
Leandro De Niro Rodriguez was discovered dead in his $950,000-dollar Wall Street apartment on July 2 – autopsy results revealed that the young man had fentanyl, bromazolam, alprazolam, 7-aminoclonazepam, ketamine and cocaine in his system when he died. The medical examiners ruled the death an ‘accident.’
Drena, 51, wore a cream strapless top, slacks and black pumps as she attended the bash.
Her locks were pulled back into a bun and she sported tinted shades as she walked into the soiree at restaurant Locanda Verde.
Following Leandro’s unexpected death, his mega-star grandfather, De Niro issued a statement in reaction to the tragic news.
Sighting: Robert De Niro’s daughter Drena attended her father’s 80th birthday celebration in NYC on Thursday – seven weeks after the tragic death of her son Leandro aged 19
Accidental death: Leandro De Niro Rodriguez was discovered dead in his $950,000-dollar Wall Street apartment on July 2 – autopsy results revealed that the young man had fentanyl, bromazolam, alprazolam, 7-aminoclonazepam, ketamine and cocaine in his system
‘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,’ he told Page Six at the time.
Leandro’s mother, Drena De Niro, 51, wrote in a tribute to her only child: ‘You have been my joy my heart and all that was ever pure and real in my life. I wish I was with you right now. I wish I was with you. I don’t know how to live without you.’
De Niro adopted Drena in 1976 when he married her mother, Diahnne Abbott. The pair divorced in 1988 after welcoming another child.
The Oscar winner has five other children, including a baby girl named Gia he welcome in April with girlfriend Tiffany Chen, 44, with whom he has been linked since summer 2021.
Leandro was found unresponsive in a $1million home with a white powdery substance on a plate near his body, police told DailyMail.com.
He’d lived alone in the upscale sixth-floor apartment, renting the unit for less than a year. The apartment is located in the same stone building as Cipriani, a luxury venue for events.
In July a woman was arrested in connection to the overdose death for allegedly selling him fentanyl-laced pills.
Aspiring actor and director Leandro was following in his mother and grandfather’s career footsteps, and had landed a small role in 2018’s A Star Is Born as the son of Bradley Cooper’s best friend, George ‘Noodles’ Stone, played by Dave Chappelle. He also appeared in Cabaret Maxime in 2018.
Tribute: Drena posted a loving message to her father on his milestone birthday
At the time, his mother and father, renowned graffiti artist Carlos Rodriguez, 58, shared a statement: ‘It is with immeasurable shock and sadness that we say goodbye to our beloved son Leo. We thank you for the outpouring love and support and ask that we are given privacy this time to process this inconsolable grief.’
A glittering array of showbiz figures attended Thursday’s party – including Uma Thurman, Christopher Walken, Paul McCartney, Martin Scorsese, Alec Baldwin, George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola.
De Niro and Chen were both dressed remarkably casual for the event, considering the starry guest list.
They welcomed their daughter Gia on April 6 but refrained from announcing her arrival until early May, sending shock waves through the public.
Now a father of seven – with children raging in age from 51 years to four months – Robert welcomed a glittering guest list to a swanky Italian eatery.
Robert De Niro (right) pictured alongside late grandson Leandro De Niro Rodriguez (left) and Drena De Niro (center)
Locanda Verde, his venue of choice, is located in TriBeCa, the neighborhood where Robert helped found a film festival of the same name in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
Scorsese, who has directed Robert in 11 movies including the upcoming Killers Of The Flower Moon, could also be glimpsed entering the fete.
Robert’s past year has been a personal rollercoaster, from the joy of his daughter’s arrival in April to the death of his 18-year-old grandson Leandro in July.
Leandro’s mother Drena, who is Robert’s firstborn child, announced that her son had been sold pills laced with fentanyl, tragically claiming his life.
He was discovered dead in his $950,000-dollar Wall Street apartment on July 2, sitting in a chair with white powder nearby.
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