Robert De Niro's grandson Leandro dies aged 19

Leandro De Niro Rodriguez was a budding actor, born to the Oscar winner's eldest daughter

Actor Robert De Niro and his grandson Leandro De Niro Rodriguez. Photo: AP / @DrenaDeNiro

Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, the grandson of Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro, has died aged 19.

The news was announced on Monday by his mother, Drena De Niro. No cause of death has yet been revealed.

"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,” she posted on Instagram.

“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.”

Born in 2004 in New York City, Rodriguez followed his famous grandfather into show business and made his debut in the 2005 crime drama The Collection, before landing a minor role in the 2018 Academy Award-winning film, A Star is Born.

In the latter, he played the son of Dave Chappelle’s character, George "Noodles" Stone.

Rodriguez's mother Drena was adopted by De Niro in 1976 after he married Diahnne Abbott.

Drena's Instagram account features several photos of Rodriguez.

The last images uploaded before his death was on May 15, when Drena celebrated Mothers Day with images featuring Rodriguez and his father, New York artist Carlos Mare.

The latter acknowledged the tragedy by posting a black image on his Instagram account.

De Niro made headlines this year after revealing he had recently become a father again at the age of 79.

While the Raging Bull star did not say when the baby was born, or reveal the name of the mother, sources claim he welcomed his seventh child with girlfriend Tiffany Chen, 45, an actress and martial arts expert who starred alongside him in the 2015 film, The Intern.