RJ Mitte, Walter White Jr. on Breaking Bad, dies at 34

RJ Mitte, who played Walter White Jr. on all five seasons of Breaking Bad and built a second career as a disability rights advocate, died Monday in Brownsville, Texas, at the age of 34.

Representatives for the actor confirmed the death and said he died by suicide, Deadline reported. Bryan Cranston, who played his father on the AMC drama, wrote on Instagram on Monday night that Mitte had taken his own life.

Cameron County Justice of the Peace Cyndi Hinojosa declared Mitte dead at about 1:30 p.m. local time Monday at what she believed was his home, the Associated Press reported. She said an autopsy will be performed.

What his representatives said

"It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate RJ Mitte," the statement from his representatives said. It added that Mitte drew on his own experience living with cerebral palsy to bring authenticity to the role, and that he built a platform on disability awareness and inclusion.

The representatives asked for the family's privacy, and information on survivors or a memorial service was not immediately available, Deadline reported.

Mitte proposed to Kennedy Suarez, his partner since 2018, in October 2025. He told People at the time that Suarez was his "everything" and that he could not wait to "start our life together."

Mitte's most recent credit was the independent drama Talking to Strangers, in which he starred opposite Lin Yin, Deadline reported, citing IMDb. The film had a red-carpet screening on September 30 at the Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills, less than two weeks before he died. He was still promoting it on podcasts days before his death, according to Variety.

A role written with cerebral palsy

Walter White Jr., the teenage son of Cranston's chemistry teacher turned methamphetamine manufacturer, had cerebral palsy, and so did the actor cast in the part. Mitte said on the Joe Vulpis Podcast that his character "was written with someone with cerebral palsy" from the start, and that Walt Jr. was based on a college friend of series creator Vince Gilligan, Newsweek reported.

The casting came late. Mitte told the same podcast that the audition was one of the longest of his life and that he was among the very last of the main cast added to the series, by which point he had already missed the cast dinner, ABC News reported.

Breaking Bad ran from 2008 to 2013 and drew 58 Primetime Emmy nominations, winning 16 of them, including two for outstanding drama series, according to Deadline. Mitte shared the Screen Actors Guild Award for ensemble in a drama series with the cast in 2014, after nominations in the category in the two previous years.

The series also won two Golden Globe Awards and three Screen Actors Guild Awards over its run, Fox News Digital reported. Mitte was honored with the SAG-AFTRA Harold Russell Award at the 2013 Media Access Awards, which recognize inclusive portrayals and employment of people with disabilities in media.

Advocacy and the Mitte Foundation

Mitte served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children's and as president of The Mitte Foundation, which supports philanthropic efforts and community initiatives. His representatives said he used his platform to challenge stereotypes and promote greater representation for people with disabilities.

At United Cerebral Palsy, where Mitte was an honorary trustee, president and chief executive Susan Sellers said his advocacy was rooted in a commitment to ensuring that people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities are seen, heard and given the opportunity to reach their full potential, Newsweek reported.

RJ used his platform to raise awareness, challenge misconceptions, and advance understanding and inclusion for people with disabilities.

After Breaking Bad ended, Mitte took a recurring role on the ABC Family series Switched at Birth, and his later television credits included Chance, This Close and Now Apocalypse, Fox News Digital reported. Variety reported that he played Mind Master in the Netflix superhero series The Guardians of Justice.

He also voiced a role in HCBS Final Rule: The Animated Series, a set of shorts highlighting changes to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' community based services for people with intellectual disabilities in California, according to Deadline.

Work left in progress

Mitte had a handful of projects in pre-production and production at the time of his death, Variety reported. On the Joe Vulpis Podcast he praised working with Cranston and Anna Gunn, who played his mother on the series, and said that despite the show's heavy themes, "everything was very light-hearted, even in between takes."

Tributes from the Breaking Bad cast

Cranston wrote that he met Mitte when the actor was 14 and watched him develop on the job. "That kid was pretty raw when we started shooting the pilot in February of 2007, but little by little we watched him grow into a really fine actor," he wrote, adding that Mitte never allowed cerebral palsy to be an excuse for anything.

"It is especially devastating to hear that he took his own life," Cranston wrote. He said the two had been texting a few weeks earlier about when they could meet for lunch, and that he did not know whether that lunch would have changed Mitte's future. "I'll miss you, son," he added.

Cranston ended the post by urging anyone contemplating suicide to call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Aaron Paul, who played Jesse Pinkman, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, "I am at a loss. I am heartbroken over this news," and told anyone reading it that they are loved and not alone.

Dean Norris, who played Hank Schrader, the uncle to Walt Jr., said he had always looked out for Mitte as a young kid on set and called him "a sweetheart of a young man." Marlee Matlin and J.B. Blanc posted tributes as well, Consequence reported.

Early years and diagnosis

Mitte was born on August 21, 1992, in Jackson, Mississippi, according to Deadline. Variety reported that he suffered brain damage at birth and was then adopted, and that he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of 3. He was cast in Breaking Bad at 14, in 2007, after a small part on Hannah Montana.

In a 2015 interview with the Badger Herald, Mitte said he saw his disability as a source of strength. "I wouldn't be able to do what I do today if it wasn't for my disability and what it instilled in me," he said.

Mitte often credited Breaking Bad with transforming his life and career, and said he believed Walter Jr. resonated with the disability community because the character's cerebral palsy was part of who he was rather than the center of his story, Fox News Digital reported.

Walt Jr. had cerebral palsy but he wasn't disabled. That's the biggest thing that I feel is so important when we see characters on television that represent individuals with disabilities.

Hinojosa said an autopsy will be performed, and no timetable was given for the result. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can be reached by call or text in the United States.