Breaking Bad Star RJ Mitte Passes Away at 34

RJ Mitte, the actor and disability rights advocate best known for playing Walter White Jr. on Breaking Bad, has died at the age of 34 in Brownsville, Texas. His representatives announced his passing with profound sadness, while a county official informed TMZ that the actor died by a possible suicide. Born Roy Frank Mitte III on August 21, 1992, in Jackson, Mississippi, he was raised by adopted parents and diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age 3. He moved to Hollywood in 2006 because his younger sister, Lacianne, secured a job offer in film production. Before achieving fame, his first small-screen acting credit came in 2007 as an extra on Hannah Montana, playing a bystander credited as "School Jock" in an episode titled "Schooly Bully." Mitte achieved widespread recognition starring as Walter "Flynn" White Jr. across all five seasons and 56 episodes of the AMC drama Breaking Bad from 2008 to 2013. He recently shared on The Joe Vulpis Podcast that his character was written for someone with cerebral palsy from the beginning, based on a real-life college friend of creator Vince Gilligan. Following his breakout role, Mitte appeared as Campbell Bingman on the Freeform drama Switched at Birth in 2014 and voiced the Mind Master on Netflix's The Guardians of Justice in 2022. His film credits include House of Last Things, Who's Driving Doug, Time Share, Standing Up for Sunny, The Oak Room, Triumph, and Talking to Strangers.

Context

Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affect a person's ability to move and maintain balance and posture, often diagnosed during infancy or early childhood. Mitte used his platform as an actor to advocate for disability rights and representation in the entertainment industry. Breaking Bad remains widely regarded as one of the most influential television dramas of the 21st century.