Warning Signs
Dyna Mitte said she encouraged her son to speak with a therapist before his death by suicide earlier this month
RJ Mitte’s mother said the late actor’s family, friends, and team had “concerns” about his mental health before his death by suicide earlier this month.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Dyna Mitte, explained that it wasn’t about any “specific action” the former Breaking Bad star was taking, but “more about the conversation we were having — not just with me, but his team and friends.” Dyna said she “encouraged” Mitte to “talk to a therapist and share his feelings and how he saw things. A therapist could tell him what they saw and heard without having a personal stake in it.”
Mitte died by suicide on Oct. 12 at his home in Brownsville, Texas. It was Dyna who found her son.
“When something is tormenting you — whether it’s for an hour, a day, a week or a month — I think people can have weak moments,” she said. “I believe that’s what happened in this case. That doesn’t mean he hadn’t been having personal struggles. He had been opening up to me, to his sister, to family members and to people on his team. I don’t know what else to say other than that it wasn’t something we expected. A mother should never have to find her child that way. It’s a hard pill to swallow.”
Dyna said she wanted to speak publicly about her son’s death to offer advice to other concerned parents. “Parents should listen to their children and watch for signs,” she said. “I thought RJ was in a place where we had gotten over the hump and that he was OK. It wasn’t until he didn’t answer the phone that I recognized it as a red flag, because we talked regularly.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Dyna pushed back on speculation that Mitte’s career had been floundering since Breaking Bad, and that his finances were shaky. As far as his work as an actor, Dyna acknowledged things had slowed during the pandemic, but had recently “picked back up.” She said that Mitte had three movies released this year already, plus two more on the way, and had recently signed on for several future projects. Outside acting, he was preparing to write a book and open a food truck.
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As for his financial situation, Dyna said the speculation was tied to an incident that occurred with a manager years ago. Dyna said it “had already been resolved, and was not related to what happened now.”
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Dyna also spoke about a celebration of life ceremony for Mitte that took place in Brownsville at the end of last week. The event was attended by Mitte’s countless family and friends, as well as many professional peers. “The room was filled with producers, directors, casting agents, agents, managers and publicists,” Dyna said. “For an actor, that says a lot. All of those people traveled to be there for him. Everything had meaning to me, and I think RJ was looking down and understood that it all had meaning for him, too.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Dial 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The Trevor Project, which provides help and suicide-prevention resources for LGBTQ+ youth, can be reached at 1-866-488-7386. Find other international suicide helplines at Befrienders Worldwide (befrienders.org).