Cause of death
Robert De Niro‘s grandson Leandro De Niro Rodriguez died last month from an accidental drug overdose, according to the New York City’s medical examiner.
The 19-year-old’s cause of death was determined to be the ‘toxic effects of fentanyl, bromazolam, alprazolam, 7-aminoclonazepam, ketamine, and cocaine,’ the agency confirmed to USA TODAY on Wednesday.
Disclaimer from De Niro Rodriguez’s mother
Actress Drena De Niro, posted an Instagram statement on Wednesday saying ‘there’s been a lot of misunderstanding and misrepresentation of facts that I as his mother can not sit by and not speak up about.’
In response to the ‘trolling and randoms who have nothing better to do than spread vitriol and pain to people who are already managing more than their share of heartache,’ Drena De Niro shared details of what she believes led to her son’s death in a six-slide text post.
She alleged Leandro was sold fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills and called for increased awareness of the epidemic involving ‘mental health and addiction and fentanyl.’
De Niro continued in her post, ‘My son suffered tremendously through the pandemic as maybe many of your kids had but sadly addiction took over in the last year and eventually killed him.
‘I will say that as long as we keep blaming the addict and person suffering mental illness we are going to continue to see more of this,’ she shared.
‘Hopefully the publicity his very sad death has garnered will bring attention to a much bigger problem and to all the other beautiful young lives that are being snuffed out way too soon and senselessly.’
