RJ Mitte, the actor who played Walter White Jr. on “Breaking Bad,” died on Monday at the age of 34. His representatives said he died by suicide.
Mitte was found dead at his home in Brownsville, Texas. According to Variety, which cited People, the Brownsville Police Department received a call at 12:50 p.m. local time. NBC News reported that Justice of the Peace Cyndi Hinojosa declared him dead at 1:32 p.m. She said she could not disclose the cause of death.
Variety reported that police initially said the cause and manner of death were pending an ongoing investigation. Mitte’s representatives later confirmed the cause to the outlet.
A role that changed the conversation
Mitte played the son of Bryan Cranston’s Walter White and Anna Gunn’s Skyler White in Vince Gilligan’s AMC drama. NBC News noted that the series debuted in January 2008, when he was 15. It gave him his breakout role. Variety said he appeared in all five seasons, which ran from 2008 to 2013.
Like his character, Mitte had cerebral palsy. Variety wrote that his high-profile performance raised awareness of the condition. He remained an advocate for disability representation in Hollywood throughout his career.
He was born in Jackson, Mississippi. NBC News cited a 2016 interview with Vice in which Mitte said he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age 3. In the same interview he said he moved to Los Angeles at 12 or 13, and that he began acting to meet kids his own age.
Work beyond the show
Mitte’s representatives called him a “beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate.” In a statement, they described his death as a tragic passing.
Variety reported that he served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s. He was also president of his own charity, the Mitte Foundation. According to Variety, the foundation supported philanthropic efforts and challenged stereotypes about people with disabilities.
He was still working. Variety said he had been promoting a new film, “Talking to Strangers,” and had appeared on podcasts only days before his death. It also reported that he was engaged to his partner of several years, Kennedy Suarez, whom he had dated since 2018.
Where to find help
Anyone in distress or worried about someone else can seek support. In the United States, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. Readers elsewhere can contact local crisis services.
No further details of the investigation had been made public in the sources reviewed. Tributes from Mitte’s former colleagues were not yet included in those reports.