Breaking Bad Star RJ Mitte Dies at 34
The actor behind Walter White Jr. spent his career pushing for disability representation on screen.
Anthony
RJ Mitte, who played Walter White Jr. on Breaking Bad, has died at 34. He was pronounced dead on Monday, October 12, in Brownsville, Texas, the Associated Press reported. His representatives said the next day that he died by suicide (AP via WRAL).
Mitte appeared in nearly every episode of Breaking Bad from 2008 to 2013. He played the son of Bryan Cranston's Walter White on a show that won 16 Emmys. Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, he moved to Los Angeles in 2006 and was cast as Walt Jr. the next year. He later appeared in Switched at Birth and Guardians of Justice. He produced independent films as well (AP via WRAL).
Mitte was born with cerebral palsy, as was the character he played. That made his casting a genuine milestone for disability representation on one of the most celebrated dramas ever made. Off screen, he was an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children's. He also served as president of the Mitte Foundation (ABC News). His representatives described him as a passionate disability rights advocate. Anyone familiar with his work would recognize that.
For a lot of viewers, Walt Jr. was the one character on Breaking Bad who never stopped being decent. Revisiting the show now, that part of the story lands even harder.
His Breaking Bad family has been remembering him all week. Bryan Cranston, who played his on-screen father for five seasons, said on social media that he was in deep despair over the news. He ended his tribute with a line that will stay with a lot of fans, "I'll miss you, son." Aaron Paul told The Hollywood Reporter he was "heartbroken over this news." He later shared an open letter on Instagram recalling how he kept calling Mitte "Superman" the last time they saw each other (AV Club, TVLine).
Anna Gunn, his on-screen mom, called him her "beloved TV son" in a statement to TVLine. Bob Odenkirk told People that Mitte always met the world with positivity, and he called the news "simply, deeply sad" (Just Jared, citing People).
Our thoughts are with his family, his friends and everyone he worked with.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org, to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US any time of day. Outside the US, findahelpline.com lists free support lines by country.
Header image of RJ Mitte by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons, cropped, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0. Peabody Awards photo via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY 2.0.
