The actor and disability rights advocate was found dead at a Texas home on Monday, with TMZ reporting he died by suicide though his representatives have not confirmed a cause.
RJ Mitte, who spent five seasons playing Walter White Jr. On Breaking Bad, has died at 34. His representatives confirmed the death on October 12, calling him a "beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate." They have not publicly stated a cause.
TMZ, which first reported the story, said officials were called to a home in Texas and that Mitte died by suicide. That detail has not been confirmed by his family or representatives, and no official cause has been made public. If you or anyone you know is struggling, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org.
Tributes came fast. Aaron Paul, who played Jesse Pinkman opposite Mitte's Walt Jr., told The Hollywood Reporter he was "heartbroken over this news." "RJ, I love you my friend," he said. "You will be missed. And to whoever happens to be reading this, please know you are loved, and you are not alone."
Dean Norris, who played Hank Schrader, posted on X within hours of hearing. "Oh my God! Was working, just found out about RJ. I am heartbroken," he wrote. Norris never shared scenes with Mitte as father and son, but said he looked out for him anyway. "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."
Lea Thompson, who worked with Mitte on Switched at Birth, called him "joyous, professional, kind and very, very good" in an Instagram post, adding that his work "inspired so many."
Mitte was three when he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and he brought that lived experience to Walt Jr., a role that turned out to carry more weight than most teenage characters on prime time. He told The Joe Vulpis Podcast on October 5, just a week before his death, that the character was based on someone real. "Walt Jr. Was based on a real person," he said. "A friend Vince had in college who had cerebral palsy who used forearm crutches and, sometime after, passed away. So it really felt real playing this character." In the same episode he spoke warmly about Bryan Cranston and Anna Gunn, his onscreen parents, saying the set stayed light even when the show itself turned dark.
Breaking Bad ran five seasons between 2008 and 2013, and Mitte's turn as Walt Jr. Is widely credited with being one of the more significant portrayals of disability on American network television. Off screen, he served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children's, and led his own nonprofit, The Mitte Foundation.
His last public appearance came on September 30, at a Beverly Hills screening of Talking to Strangers, one of several film roles he took on after Breaking Bad, alongside Who's Driving Doug, Time Share, The Oak Room and Triumph.
His family has asked for privacy. No funeral or memorial details have been announced.
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