RJ Mitte, best known for playing Walter White Jr. on the Emmy-winning series Breaking Bad and for his later work as a disability-rights activist, died Monday. He was 34.
His representatives confirmed the death, saying Mitte died by suicide in Brownsville, Texas.
The Associated Press reported that Cameron County Justice of the Peace Cyndi Hinojosa pronounced Mitte dead at about 1:30 p.m. local time Monday at what she believed was his home. An autopsy will be performed, Hinojosa said.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate RJ Mitte,” his representatives said in a statement.
Mitte’s Breaking Bad character, Walter Jr., also had cerebral palsy. Mitte lived with CP himself, and the show’s popularity helped him create a platform for disability awareness and inclusion. Breaking Bad aired from 2008 to 2013 and earned 58 Primetime Emmy nominations, winning 16, including two for Outstanding Drama Series.
In 2014, Mitte was part of the cast that won the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. The cast had been nominated in the same category the two previous years.
His breakout role led to additional film and television projects. He starred in the 2021 drama Triumph as a high school senior who tries at great cost to become a wrestler despite having cerebral palsy. He also appeared opposite Dove Cameron in 2024’s Love Me Dead and opposite Finn Wittrock in 2025’s Westhampton.
According to IMDb, his most recent credit was starring opposite Lin Yin in the independent film Talking to Strangers. The drama had a red-carpet screening on September 30 at the Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills, less than two weeks before his death.
On television, Mitte appeared in 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 collection 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 August 21, 1992, in Jackson, Mississippi, Mitte was also known for his philanthropy. He served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s, and as president of The Mitte Foundation, which supports charitable efforts and community initiatives.
His representatives asked for privacy for the family. Information about 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.
Source: Associated Press