Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, Robert De Niro’s grandson died at the age of 19 on Monday. His mother, Drena De Niro broke the news of his death on Instagram, posting a picture of the teenager.

“My beautiful sweet angel. I have loved you beyond words or description from the moment I felt you in my belly. 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 but I’ll try to go on and spread the love and light that you so made me feel in getting to be your mama. You were so deeply loved and appreciated and I wish that love alone could have saved you I’m so sorry my baby, I’m so sorry @carlosmare. Rest in Peace and Eternal Paradise my darling boy,” she wrote in the heartbreaking message.

Also Read | Who was Leandro De Niro Rodriguez? Robert De Niro’s grandson dies at 19

Who is Drena De Niro?

Drena De Niro is the daughter of Robert De Niro and ex-Diahnne Abbott. Robert adopted her after he married her mother in 1976. Drena is an actress and filmmaker. During her childhood, she divided her time between New York City, Los Angeles, and Italy.

She began her career in the entertainment industry working as a model. Due to her interest in fashion and music, she became a DJ and fashion consultant. She soon started working as a musical supervisor for Giorgio Armani, working behind the scene and handling the coordination of runway shows.

She landed her first acting role with Allison Anders’s Grace of My Heart. She De wrote and directed her first film, Girls and Dolls for which she was awarded Best Directorial Debut Award at the New York Independent Film/Video Festival in 2001.

Also Read | Who is Diahnne Abbott, Robert De Niro’s ex-wife?

 Since 2006, she has been the spokesperson for the Kageno Orphan Sponsorship Program, which provides care for orphaned children in Kageno villages. 

Who is Carlos Mare?

Carlos Rodriguez or Carlos Mare was born in 1965 and is a New York-based artist. He was best known as the subway graffiti writer Mare 139. He is popular for his creation of graffiti-art-related websites.

His breakthrough came with the metal “K” sculpture in 1985. This led to a series of large-scale sculptures that were true to graffiti lettering format. He also designed and created the award for the annual BET Awards show. In 2006 and 2007, Rodriguez worked with Robert De Niro on the film The Good Shepherd.

It is not clear if that is when he met his daughter, Drena. There are no details about their relationship available publicly. It is not even known where they are or were married to each other.

Carlos has not publicly spoken out about the death of his son. But he did share a blacked-out image on his Instagram page in the wake of Leandro’s death.