De la Rosa starred in the 1987 feature Italian horror film made in Dominican Republic called Ratman. During the 1990s Nelson continued his path to international success by becoming a staple guest at Venevision's television show Súper Sábado Sensacional in Venezuela, and, later on, he would be invited as a guest to Don Francisco's show, Sábado Gigante, and to other Univision shows. His popularity took him to other Hispanic countries such as Argentina, where he featured several times in Susana Giménez show, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Spain and others. He married, and had a son.

De la Rosa befriended then Boston Red Sox pitcher and fellow Dominican, Pedro Martínez, who began to take de la Rosa to playoff games as a good luck charm during the 2004 MLB playoffs. He was often referred to as "Pedro's Lucky Midget."

He died at the age of 38, October 22, 2006 in Providence, Rhode Island, USA, reportedly from heart failure. He is survived by his wife, Jennifer De Leonel, and nine-year-old son. His remains were transferred to the Dominican Republic, and buried in the Cristo Redentor cemetery.