RJ Mitte, Breaking Bad Star and Advocate, Dies at 34

Actor and disability rights advocate RJ Mitte, best known for playing Walter White Jr. on the acclaimed series Breaking Bad, has died. The news that RJ Mitte dead at age 34 sent shockwaves through Hollywood and the disability community on Tuesday.

Mitte was declared dead Monday afternoon, Oct. 12, at his home in Brownsville, Texas, according to the Associated Press. Cameron County Justice of the Peace Cyndi Hinojosa told the AP she pronounced him dead at about 1:30 p.m. She said she was unable to provide a cause and that an autopsy would be performed.

Statement from Mitte’s representatives

“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, which was reported by Deadline, Fox News, and USA Today.

The statement noted that Mitte, who lived with cerebral palsy, “brought authenticity to the role and built a platform on disability awareness and inclusion.” It added that he served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s, and as president of The Mitte Foundation, which supports philanthropic efforts and community initiatives.

“Beyond entertaining friends and family around the world, he served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s,” the statement continued. His representatives asked that people “respect the privacy of RJ Mitte’s family and close ones” at this time.

A career that changed representation

Born Roy Frank Mitte III on Aug. 21, 1992, in Jackson, Mississippi, Mitte was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of three. He moved to Los Angeles in 2006 to support his sister’s acting career and found a talent manager who helped him pursue roles that could educate audiences about disability.

His breakthrough came after an audition process that lasted about six months, during which he auditioned five times in Los Angeles and once in New Mexico. He was cast at age 14 as Walter “Flynn” White Jr., the son of Bryan Cranston’s chemistry-teacher-turned-drug-kingpin Walter White and Anna Gunn’s Skyler White, on AMC’s Breaking Bad.

Drawing from his own experience living with cerebral palsy, Mitte appeared in nearly all five seasons of the series, which ran from 2008 to 2013. The show earned 16 Primetime Emmy Awards and was recently ranked as the best television series of the 21st century in a New York Times poll. Mitte appeared in 56 episodes.

Beyond the hit series, his credits included the ABC Family drama Switched at Birth, the Netflix series The Guardians of Justice, the thriller The Oak Room, and the coming-of-age drama Triumph, which he executive produced. At the time of his death, he was promoting his upcoming film, Talking to Strangers.

Bryan Cranston leads the tributes

Bryan Cranston said he was in “deep despair” over the loss of his “sweet son” in a Facebook post Monday night.

“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,” Cranston wrote. “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.”

Fans, colleagues, and members of the disability community shared their grief across social media, remembering Mitte as a performer whose career challenged long-standing stereotypes about actors with disabilities. His advocacy helped open doors for greater representation in an industry that has historically offered few leading roles to performers with disabilities.

A legacy of advocacy

• Screen Actors Guild spokesman for actors with disabilities
• Celebrity ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy
• Ambassador for Shriners Children’s
• President of The Mitte Foundation
• Recipient of the 2013 SAG-AFTRA Harold Russell Award

Mitte told the AP in 2014 that his disability and the struggles surrounding physical therapy, family problems, and medical bills — all themes on Breaking Bad — made him better at his job.

“You develop a different mentality and you develop a different look at how the world sees you and how you see the world,” he said at the time. “You’re able to use that. And I think it’s an asset instead of something that would hinder.”

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