RJ Mitte, actor best known for playing Walter White Jr. on ‘Breaking Bad,’ dies at 34

Actor RJ Mitte, known for playing Walter White’s son on the hit AMC series “Breaking Bad” and for defending the rights of people with disabilities, has died at the age of 34, his representatives announced Monday.

“It is with deep sadness that we share the tragic passing of beloved actor, philanthropist and passionate disability rights advocate RJ Mitte,” his representatives said.

They did not provide details on his cause of death.

Mitte died Monday in Brownsville, Texas, where he had moved, Brownsville Justice of the Peace Cyndi Hinojosa said.

Hinojosa said she pronounced him dead at 1:32 p.m., but could not release the cause of death.

In the award-winning film “Breaking Bad,” Mitte plays Walter White Jr., the teenage son of a high school teacher turned meth producer.

This series, which began in January 2008 when he was 15, earned him a notable role.

Mitte also starred in the 2020 horror film “The Oak Room” and the 2017 science fiction film “The Recall.”

Mitte suffered from cerebral palsy, which was reflected in “Breaking Bad”, and was an advocate for the rights of people with disabilities.

“Drawing on her own experience with cerebral palsy, Mitte brought authenticity to her role and built a platform on disability awareness and inclusion,” her representatives said in the release.

“In addition to entertaining friends and family around the world, he has been an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Hospitals for Children,” they said in the release.

“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 of people with disabilities,” they said.

The representatives asked for respect for the privacy of Mitte’s family and loved ones.

Hinojosa, the justice of the peace, said Mitte will “be missed very, very much” in Brownsville.

“He was so gracious to our city,” Hinojosa said in a telephone interview.

Mitte was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and doctors diagnosed cerebral palsy when he was 3, he told VICE in a 2016 interview. He was 12 or 13 when he moved to Los Angeles, he said.

“I started playing to meet kids my age,” he said in the VICE interview.

In a 2021 interview, Mitte told “Big Issue” that the favorable media and critical reception of “Breaking Bad” helped keep the show on the air during its early years.

“It wasn’t the viewers, because we didn’t have the numbers to remain a network show,” Mitte said.

It wasn’t until later seasons that “we really got the audience,” he said.

The series ran for five seasons, from 2008 to 2013.

In that same interview, Mitte thanked his family for supporting him when the public perception of people with cerebral palsy was negative.

When he was younger, he said, some thought he would never walk, never speak properly and never have a typical life or career.

“That was the perception I had when I was a kid,” Mitte said in the interview. “And my family was like, ‘No. He’s going to do things.'”

Mitte told VICE in 2016 that he considered himself lucky to be able to make a difference.

“I’m lucky enough to be able to advocate for the cause. I’m lucky enough to be able to do what I do and talk to the people I talk to,” he said.

“I think we all have an obligation to make a positive impact,” he said.