UPDATED with additional details: RJ Mitte, who played the son of Bryan Cranston’s Walter White on the Emmy-winning series Breaking Bad and became a disability-rights activist from his experiences living with cerebral palsy, died Monday. He was 34.
Mitte’s reps confirmed the news, saying he died by suicide in Brownsville, Texas.
The Associated Press reported that 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. She said 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 reps said.
Mitte, whose Breaking Bad character Walter Jr also had CP, would build a platform on disability awareness and inclusion due to the popularity of the series, which ran from 2008-13 and garnered 58 Primetime Emmy nominations, winning 16 including two for Outstanding Drama Series.
L-R: Bryan Cranston and RJ Mitte in ‘Breaking Bad’
AMC/Everett Collection
Mitte was part of the cast that won the then-SAG Awards’ Ensemble in a Drama Series trophy in 2014, having been nominated in the category the previous two years.
The breakout role led to parts in movie and TV series. He starred in the 2021 drama Triumph, playing a high school senior who tries at extreme cost to be a wrestler despite having cerebral palsy. He also starred opposite Dove Cameron in 2024’s Love Me Dead and opposite Finn Wittrock in 2025’s Westhampton.
His most recent credit, per IMDb, was starring opposite Lin Yin in the indie pic Talking to Strangers. The drama had a red-carpet screening less than two weeks ago — September 30 — at the Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills.
On the small screen, his credits included Switched at Birth, Now Apocalypse and The Guardians of Justice (Will Save You!). He also voiced a role in HCBS Final Rule: The Animated Series, a series of shorts designed to highlight changes to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Community Based Services for people with intellectual disabilities in California.
Born on August 21, 1992 in Jackson, MS, Mitte also was know for his philanthropy. He served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s as well as president of The Mitte Foundation, which supports philanthropic efforts and community initiatives.
The reps asked for the family’s privacy at this time. Information on survivors or a memorial service was not immediately available.
If you or anyone you know is having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
Rosy Cordero contributed to this report.
