Robert De Niro’s daughter shares emotional post honoring son Leandro while visiting the Pope at the Vatican
Robert De Niro’s daughter said she felt her son’s “constant presence” while visiting the Pope in Rome two weeks after five people were arrested for allegedly peddling fentanyl-laced opioid pills that killed the 19-year-old.
“I may never find the words to describe the fullness in my heart,” Drena De Niro wrote in a heartfelt post dedicated to her son Leandro De Niro Rodriguez on Instagram Sunday, following a trip to the Vatican with her A-list father and brother, Julian De Niro.
🎬 Get Free Netflix Logins
Claim your free working Netflix accounts for streaming in HD! Limited slots available for active users only.
- No subscription required
- Works on mobile, PC & smart TV
- Updated login details daily
Drena highlighted their meeting with Pope Leo XIV, which she said was an experience she would keep with her for the “rest of my days.”
“To stand in His Holiness’s presence and aura in a room filled with so much love and kindness is an honor that will stay with me for the rest of my days,” she wrote.
Drena went on to share that during the trip, she felt the spirit of her “little Leo” with them.
“My little Leo has been showering us with so many signs of his constant presence this entire trip,” the actress wrote.
“His love for his family, his mischievousness, his playfulness ..my mantilla falling off every time his Holiness came near me (I almost felt him knocking it off and laughing as I silently freaked out and kept putting it back on my head).”
She described how His Holiness showed “warmth and kindness” when he “accepted my small token of reverence and affection, asking that my son remain in his presence and grace.”
“I was given this blessing not only in my Leo’s memory, but in acknowledgment of all the young beautiful lives that have been taken too soon,” Drena said.
Drena ended her message with a heartfelt note of faith and love for both her legendary actor father and son.
“I’m so shamelessly filled with gratitude to my family here in Rome, my dad, my darling Julian, and all who made this possible,” Drena wrote.
“With love and gratitude always to the 2 most divine Leo’s I’ve ever met, may we all know your peace, higher power and mission one day.”
Leandro De Niro Rodriguez died from an accidental overdose after taking pills that were laced with fentanyl.
The famed actor’s 19-year-old grandson was at a friend’s downtown Manhattan on July 2, 2023, when he swallowed a potent fentanyl pill and suffered a fatal overdose.
Late last month, five men — Grant McIver, Bruce Epperson, Eddie Barreto, and brothers John and Roy Nicolas — were busted for allegedly peddling thousands of fake pills to unsuspecting teens and young adults across New York City and are suspected to be part of a criminal crew that sold De Niro’s grandson the fatal pills.
They are also suspected of selling drugs that killed 19-year-old Akira Stein, the daughter of Blondie guitarist Chris Stein, law enforcement sources said.
The crew would advertise the drugs on social media, targeting teens and young adults on Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, and Telegram, the feds said.
Sophia Haley Marks, an alleged drug dealer known as the “Percocet Princess,” has been separately charged with being the person who sold De Niro Rodriguez the pills he overdosed on.
Marks, who was charged in 2023, allegedly bought drugs from the crew and resold them to others, including Leandro De Niro Rodriguez.
Let’s be honest—no matter how stressful the day gets, a good viral video can instantly lift your mood. Whether it’s a funny pet doing something silly, a heartwarming moment between strangers, or a wild dance challenge, viral videos are what keep the internet fun and alive.