R.J. Mitte, the actor who played Walter White Jr. on Breaking Bad, has died at 34. The Hollywood Reporter said his representatives announced that he died Monday. Vulture also confirmed the death and quoted a statement from his rep describing Mitte as a beloved actor, philanthropist and passionate disability rights advocate.
Co-stars including Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul and Dean Norris have since shared tributes, many of them focused on the person behind the part as much as the performance.
What is and isn't known about the death
No cause of death has been officially confirmed. The Hollywood Reporter noted that none was revealed in the initial announcement, and Vulture said the same. The Hollywood Reporter added that TMZ reported he died by suicide. In his own public remarks, Cranston wrote that he had heard Mitte took his own life.
Cranston closed his message by urging anyone considering suicide to contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, adding that there is hope.
Tributes from the Breaking Bad family
In a long Instagram post, Cranston said he was in deep despair and called Mitte his son on the show. He recalled meeting him when Mitte was 14 and newly cast, and said Mitte brought joy and enthusiasm to the role. According to Cranston, Mitte never treated cerebral palsy as an excuse and met a demanding shooting schedule with determination.
Cranston said Mitte was still raw when the pilot was filmed in February 2007, but that he developed into a fine actor over time. He also credited Mitte with using his experience on the series to advocate for performers with disabilities and with leading a philanthropic organization serving the disabled community. Cranston said the two had been texting only weeks earlier about meeting for lunch.
Paul, who played Jesse Pinkman, told The Hollywood Reporter he was heartbroken and at a loss, and he told readers they are loved and not alone. Norris, who played Hank Schrader, Walter Jr.'s uncle, said he had looked out for Mitte on set when he was young. "He was a sweetheart of a young man and will be greatly missed," Norris said, per The Hollywood Reporter.
A career and a cause
Mitte was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a child. Vulture reported he began as an extra on shows such as Hannah Montana before landing the role of Walt's breakfast-loving son on Breaking Bad, where he became a favorite of fans and crew. The series, created by Vince Gilligan, ran five seasons from 2008 to 2013 and won Emmys.
Vulture also noted that Gilligan once said he had considered killing off Walter Jr. early, as he had initially planned for Jesse, but his writers reacted so strongly against the idea that he dropped it. Mitte received the SAG-AFTRA Harold Russell Award in 2013 for his work on the show.
Away from the screen, Mitte served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children's, and as president of The Mitte Foundation, Vulture said. He was engaged to his longtime partner, Kennedy Suarez.
Why it matters
Mitte's work in a prestige drama, and his advocacy afterward, gave visibility to disabled performers in an industry that has often overlooked them. Earlier this month, on The Joe Vulpis Podcast, he spoke warmly about working with Cranston and Anna Gunn, saying the set stayed light-hearted between takes despite the show's dark themes. The tributes now arriving echo that account of a young actor who was well loved by the people he worked with.
Reporting sources: The Hollywood Reporter, “‘Breaking Bad’ Stars Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Others Remember R.J. Mitte: “Sweetheart of a Young Man”” · Vulture, “RJ Mitte, Who Played Walter Jr. on Breaking Bad, Dead at 34”.