R.J. Mitte, immortalized on television as Walt Jr. on the AMC series Breaking Bad, has died at the age of 34. TMZ reports that the actor died by suicide on Monday, October 12th.
Born in 1992, Mitte was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of three, but didn’t let that stop him from pursuing a career as an actor, playing small parts on shows including Everybody Hates Chris and Hannah Montana before landing his most significant role on the Vince Gilligan-created crime drama.
As Walter White’s sometimes sarcastic but well-meaning son, Walt Jr. was a key emotional touchstone for Breaking Bad. Some of Mitte’s scenes are remembered as the show’s most powerful — especially in the final season, when Walter faced serious consequences for his actions. As a member of the cast, he was nominated for three successive Screen Actors Guild awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, winning in 2014. In 2013, he also was a recipient of the SAG-AFTRA Harold Russell Award.
Following Breaking Bad, Mitte guest-starred on shows including Vegas, Switched at Birth, This Close, and Now Apocalypse. He also reprised the role of Walt Jr. in an episode of Robot Chicken, and worked on indie features including Who’s Driving Doug, Standing Up for Sunny, and Triumph, which he also executive produced.
In addition to acting, Mitte also began performing as a DJ in 2015. He told the BBC in 2016 that he loved how music can affect people: “You can play a chord or a note and it immediately affects an emotional response in the brain.”