Very sad news to report today as it’s been announced that RJ Mitte, who played Walter Jr. on the Emmy-winning series Breaking Bad, has died at the age of 34.
“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.
The statement continued, “Mitte brought authenticity to the role and built a platform on disability awareness and inclusion. Beyond entertaining friends and family around the world, he served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s. He also served as president of The Mitte Foundation, supporting philanthropic efforts and community initiatives while using his platform to challenge stereotypes and promote greater representation for people with disabilities.“
Breaking Bad
After playing minor roles in Everybody Hates Chris and Hannah Montana, Mitte had his big break when he was cast to play Walter White Jr. on Breaking Bad. Much like Mitte himself, Walter Jr. was also diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and the series drew from Mitte’s own experience living with the disorder.
As Walter Jr.’s symptoms were more pronounced than his own, Mitte actually learned to regress from his own therapy to accurately portray the character.
“It was very hard to regress. I had to stay up real late so I could learn to blur my speech more,” he explained in a 2008 interview. “I had to learn how to use crutches so it didn’t look like I’m faking walking. I didn’t want to look like just another faker because I really have it. If you’re going to do it, you have to do it the full way. No matter if you’re regressing or if you’re trying to make it look bad, you need to still try to do it right. It was hard at first, but after a while everybody would help me out. For example, I used to walk on my toes a lot when I was a kid because I could barely move my feet, so when I was learning to portray Walter Jr., my mom would remind me about that. It was a big help.“
Mitte went on to play Walter “Flynn” White Jr. on 56 episodes of Breaking Bad over all five seasons of the AMC drama. And he looooved breakfast.
Bryan Cranston played tribute to Mitte in an emotional IG post that revealed the actor had tragically taken his own life:
I’m in deep despair as I write this tonight. RJ Mitte, my sweet son on Breaking Bad has died.
I met him when he was only 14 years old when he was cast as Walter White Jr., a part he played with such joy and enthusiasm.
Born with Cerebral Palsy, he never – ever – allowed that challenge to be an excuse for anything. He met the demanding shooting schedule head on with great determination. Always listening to the advice that his TV parents (Anna Gunn and myself) gave him – but being a teenager, sometimes mischievously ignoring the counsel in order to learn the hard way… He was one of the stars of a hit TV show – but still a kid.
That kid was pretty raw when we started shooting the pilot in February of 2007, but little by little we watched him grow into a really fine actor. He parlayed his experience on the show to be a vocal advocate for performers with disabilities, and was the head of a philanthropic organization with a focus on helping the disabled community. All that promise and potential now is such a loss.
It is especially devastating to hear that he took his own life.
Why? We were texting each other just a few weeks ago – figuring out when we could meet for lunch. I don’t know if that lunch would have changed his future…
But I do know that I loved him, and thoroughly enjoyed being with him throughout the years on the series, and after the spotlight on Breaking Bad dimmed… I’ll miss you, son.
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.
Beyond Walter White Jr.
Outside of his stellar work on Breaking Bad, Mitte make appearances on episodes of Vegas, Switched at Birth, Robot Chicken, Now Apocalypse, The Guardians of Justice, and more.
He also appeared in movies such as House of Last Things, Dixieland, Who’s Driving Doug, The Recall, River Runs Red, Triumph, and Westhampton
Mitte was a passionate spokesman for actors with disabilities and an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s. He was also the president of The Mitte Foundation, which supports philanthropic efforts and community initiatives.
Our thoughts and condolences go out to RJ Mitte’s family, friends, and loved ones. Gone far too soon.
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