Breaking Bad co-stars mourn actor’s untimely demise at 34
Actor RJ Mitte, who played Walter White’s son in the hit crime drama “Breaking Bad” and used his experience of living with cerebral palsy to advocate for disability rights in Hollywood, has died at 34.
Mitte died by suicide in Texas on Monday, US entertainment website TMZ reported.
“It is with profound sadness we share the tragic passing of beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate RJ Mitte,” the actor’s representative told TMZ.
“…Beyond entertaining friends and family around the world, he served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s,” the representative further said.
Mitte was just 13 when he auditioned for the Vince Gilligan-created show and 14 when he shot the pilot episode of the drama that brought global fame to its cast. He played Walter White Jr in the 56 episodes in which he appeared alongside Bryan Cranston and Anna Gunn, his on-screen parents.
The show, which aired from 2008 to 2013, became a cultural phenomenon. Gilligan based Mitte’s character on his college friend.
Mitte later went on to star in “The Oak Room”, “The Guardians of Justice” and “Triumph”.
The actor’s final public appearance was with his “Breaking Bad” co-star Luis Moncada at the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque.
Cranston mourned Mitte’s death, saying they had been planning a lunch date just a few weeks ago and that he now wondered whether it would have changed his future.
“I’m in deep despair as I write this tonight. RJ Mitte, my sweet son on ‘Breaking Bad’ has died. I met him when he was only 14 years old when he was cast as Walter White Jr., a part he played with such joy and enthusiasm.
“Born with Cerebral Palsy, he never – ever- allowed that challenge to be an excuse for anything. He met the demanding shooting schedule head on with great determination. Always listening to the advice that his TV parents (Anna Gunn and myself) gave him – but being a teenager, sometimes mischievously ignoring the counsel in order to learn the hard way… He was one of the stars of a hit TV show but still a kid,” Cranston wrote in his tribute.
The actor said Mitte was raw when he joined the team but grew into a really fine actor and used his experience on the show to become a vocal advocate for performers with disabilities.
“All that promise and potential now is such a loss. It is especially devastating to hear that he took his own life. Why? “…But I do know that I loved him, and thoroughly enjoyed being with him throughout the years on the series, and after the spotlight on Breaking Bad dimmedâ?¦ I’ll miss you, son,” Cranston wrote on Instagram.
Dean Norris, who played DEA agent Hank Schrader and Walter White’s brother-in-law on the AMC series, said Mitte’s death was heartbreaking.
“Oh my God! Was working just found out about RJ. I am heartbroken. Though RJ didn’t play my TV son, I always looked out for him as a young kid on set. He was a sweetheart of a young man and will be greatly missed. This is so heartbreaking, I can’t believe it. Thinking of him and his family,” Norris wrote.
In a statement to Deadline, actor Aaron Paul, who played Jesse Pinkman on the show, said, “I am at a loss. I am heartbroken over this news. RJ, I love you my friend. You will be missed. And to whoever happens to be reading this, please know you are loved, and you are not alone. Always remember that.”
Mitte’s “Switched at Birth” co-star Leah Thompson also mourned his death.
“He was joyous, professional, kind and very, very good. I am so broken hearted to hear of his passing. May his memory be a blessing. Rest in peace RJ your work inspired so many,” she said.
Mitte was born in Jackson, Mississippi. He suffered brain damage at birth and was adopted. He was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of three.
The actor was engaged to his long-term partner, Kennedy Suarez, whom he had been dating since 2018. (PTI)