RJ Mitte, Breaking Bad Actor and Disability Advocate, Dies at 34

RJ Mitte, the actor best known for playing Walter White Jr. on the AMC series Breaking Bad, died on Monday, October 12, 2026, at age 34. Brownsville police received a call at 12:50 p.m. and found him at his home. Cameron County Justice of the Peace Cyndi Hinojosa declared him dead at 1:32 p.m. No foul play is suspected. An autopsy is pending.

His representative said: "It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate RJ Mitte." Mitte lived with cerebral palsy, diagnosed at age three. He used the condition in his performance as the son of Bryan Cranston’s Walter White and Anna Gunn’s Skyler White across all five seasons of the show, which aired from 2008 to 2013.

Born Roy Frank Mitte III on August 21, 1992, in Jackson, Mississippi, he moved to Los Angeles as a teenager. He appeared in 56 episodes and earned a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2014 for the ensemble cast. He also appeared in Switched at Birth and other projects. Before his death he was promoting the film Talking to Strangers.

Mitte founded the Mitte Foundation to support disability representation and served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s. He got engaged last year to Kennedy Suarez. Co-stars paid tribute. Bryan Cranston wrote on Instagram that Mitte never allowed cerebral palsy to be an excuse and met the shooting schedule with determination. Aaron Paul said he was heartbroken and urged people to know they are loved and not alone. Dean Norris called him a sweetheart of a young man.

Some reports, citing his representative and county officials, state that Mitte died by suicide. Police have not yet released an official manner of death. The actor had made a public appearance with co-star Luis Moncada at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta eight days earlier.

Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan based the character partly on a college friend. Mitte’s portrayal brought visibility to cerebral palsy at a time when disabled actors were rarely cast in recurring roles on major series. His foundation continued that work after the show ended.

The series remains one of the highest-rated dramas of its era. Mitte’s performance as the loyal but frustrated son gave the story a domestic center amid the crime plot. His death at 34 cuts short both an acting career and an advocacy platform that reached millions of viewers.

No public funeral arrangements have been announced. The family has asked for privacy. Mitte’s final projects remain in various stages of production.