Robert De Niro's Daughter Drena Honors Late Son Leandro on His 21st Birthday: 'My Little Angel'

08/11/2024 02:07 PM

Leandro died in July 2023 at age 19, his grandfather Robert confirmed to PEOPLE at the time

Drena De Niro is honoring her late son Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez on what would have been his 21st birthday.

On Sunday, Aug. 11, Drena, the daughter of actor Robert De Niro, shared a post on social media in celebration of Leandro's birthday, just over a year after his death at age 19.

"Happy 21st Birthday up in the heavens cosmos my little angel," Drena, 56, wrote on her Instagram Stories alongside a baby picture of Leandro, his name and his birthday: Aug. 11, 2003. "I never stop thinking of you."

Related: Robert De Niro's Daughter Drena Honors Son Leandro 1 Year After His Death: 'You Made the World a Brighter Place'

Leandro's father, Carlos "Mare" Rodriguez, also shared a post on Instagram on his son's birthday to mark the occasion. Sharing a photo of himself and Leandro sitting on the floor and posing for a photo together, he wrote in the caption: "Happy Birthday my beautiful boy."

"May your soul be resting in peace as it is in me. Thank you for your light, laughter, Love and lessons," he finished the caption, adding the hashtag: "#youcantspelllovewithoutleo 💔."

Robert, 80, first shared the news about Leandro's death on July 2, 2023, writing on Instagram in part, "Rest in Peace and Eternal Paradise my darling boy."

A spokesperson for the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Public Information told PEOPLE at the time that a "male was found unconscious, unresponsive and was pronounced deceased by EMS on scene" on July 2, 2023.

Robert also shared his grief following his grandson's death, writing in a statement to PEOPLE, "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."

In August last year, the New York City chief medical examiner's office confirmed to PEOPLE that Leandro died of an accidental drug overdose, and attributed the overdose to the "toxic effects of fentanyl, bromazolam, alprazolam, 7-aminoclonazepam, ketamine and cocaine."

Related: Drena De Niro Says Her 'Heart Is Broken Forever' in Emotional Post About Son Leandro's Death

Just last month, on July 2 — one year to the date of his death — Drena celebrated her son's life by sharing tons of photos of him throughout his childhood. In her Instagram post, she included a photo of her son posing in a leather jacket and leather pants, with his arms open wide. In the next picture, Leandro again wore a leather jacket and white shirt while he turned his head to the side, with his hair covering his face.

Drena also shared more recent photos, including a photo of her visiting her son's grave, which was decorated with vases full of flowers. She concluded the Instagram post with a snapshot of Leandro smiling.

"I KNEW this kid was jacking my clothes behind my back !!!" Drena jokingly began her caption.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

"Today we celebrated sweet wild boy Leo 🖤," she continued in part. "In your short time here you made the world a brighter place. You are deeply loved like the sun loves the moon and the moon loves the sea."

On his Instagram Stories that same day, Leandro's father shared that he had made a cake in tribute to his late son, which had the phrase "You can't spell love without Leo" written on it. He also shared some childhood videos of Leandro dancing in the street.

"Year One. Rest in Peace Rest in Me Leo," he wrote in a separate post last month. "#youcantspelllovewithoutleo 🙏🕊️❤️💔."

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.