Robert De Niro is a proud papa at 80 years old as he celebrated his youngest child Gia’s first birthday.
“She had a little cake, it was very nice, sweet,” the veteran actor confirmed to Entertainment Tonight when asked about the one-year-old’s first birthday celebration in April.
© Courtesy of Robert De NiroHe added: “Well, she’s pure joy, there’s nothing about her, there’s no judgement, there’s no anything, she just is what she is and it’s just pure joy for god sakes.”
When he was 79 years old, the Raging Bull star became one of the oldest fathers in the world, but he didn’t let that stop him from throwing himself back into fatherhood.
© ANGELA WEISS“As things come, you don’t expect them. You got to be ready. I’m ready to take whatever life gives me,” he told People.
He said of Gia: “She’s such an adorable baby. So sweet. When I look at her, everything else goes away. So it’s a great joy and relief to just be with her in the moment.”
© CBSAs well as his youngest, Robert has six children: Drena, 52, Raphael, 47, twins Julian and Aaron, 28, Elliot, 26, and Helen Grace, 12.
He also has four grandchildren, one of whom – Leandro De Niro Rodriguez – died aged 19 in July 2023. Leandro reportedly died of a combined drug intoxication involving fentanyl and cocaine.
He said of his grandson’s death that he was: “deeply distressed by the passing of my beloved grandson Leo.”
His daughter, Drena, said of losing Leandro: “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.”
She continued: “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. 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.”
