RJ Mitte, the actor best known for playing Walter White Jr. in Breaking Bad and who built a significant platform around disability rights and awareness from his own experience living with cerebral palsy, died Monday in Brownsville, Texas. He was 34.
His representative confirmed the cause of death as suicide. Cameron County Justice of the Peace Judge Cyndi Hinojosa declared Mitte dead at approximately 1:32pm local time at his residence. An autopsy will be performed.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate RJ Mitte,” his representative Sean Reilly said in a statement. “Drawing from his own experience living with cerebral palsy, Mitte brought authenticity to the role and built a platform on disability awareness and inclusion.”
His Role on Breaking Bad and What It Meant
Mitte was born on August 21, 1992, in Jackson, Mississippi, and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age three. As a teenager he moved to Los Angeles, and in 2008 was cast as Walter White Jr. — known as Flynn — in AMC’s Breaking Bad, opposite Bryan Cranston as his father. Like Mitte himself, the character had cerebral palsy. He remained with the series through its entire run until 2013.
Breaking Bad received 58 Primetime Emmy nominations, winning 16, including two for Outstanding Drama Series. Mitte was part of the ensemble cast that won the SAG Award for Outstanding Drama Series Ensemble in 2014, having been nominated in the same category the two preceding years.
Days before his death, Mitte appeared on The Joe Vulpis Podcast and reflected warmly on his time working with Cranston and Anna Gunn. “Every day, as far as it being a dark show having heavy themes, everything was very light-hearted, even in between takes,” he said.
Bryan Cranston’s Response
Hours after Mitte’s death, Cranston posted a tribute on Instagram, writing that he was “in deep despair.” He called Mitte “my sweet son” whom he had known for two decades and said it was “especially devastating to hear that he took his own life.” Cranston recalled that only weeks ago the two had been making plans to have lunch.
Cranston included the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in his post, writing: “I can’t stop there without imploring anyone who is contemplating suicide to please call for the support you need at 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. There is hope.”
A Career Beyond Breaking Bad and a Life of Advocacy
After Breaking Bad, Mitte continued to act. He starred in the 2021 drama Triumph, playing a high school student with cerebral palsy who pursues wrestling. He starred opposite Dove Cameron in 2024’s Love Me Dead and opposite Finn Wittrock in 2025’s Westhampton. His most recent credit was Talking to Strangers, which had a red-carpet screening in Beverly Hills on September 30th — less than two weeks before his death.
On television, his credits included Switched at Birth, Now Apocalypse, and The Guardians of Justice (Will Save You!). He also voiced a role in an animated series designed to highlight changes to Medicaid’s Community Based Services for people with intellectual disabilities in California.
His advocacy work extended well beyond acting. He served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s and as president of the Mitte Foundation, which supported philanthropic efforts and community initiatives. “People perceive disability as a weakness, as an illness, as something that needs to be cured, and we need to fight against that,” he said in a 2016 interview. “Having a disability, it’s not a disability. It’s knowledge that you can take into the world.”
His family has asked for privacy. Information on survivors and memorial arrangements was not immediately available.
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