Breaking Bad actor RJ Mitte dies in Texas aged 34

American actor RJ Mitte, best known for portraying Walter White Jr on all five seasons of the television drama Breaking Bad, died on Monday in Brownsville, Texas, at the age of 34. His representative described his passing as tragic in a statement issued to news outlets. BBC News reported that no immediate cause of death was provided by his representative, while Deadline reported that he died by suicide. [1][2][3][4]

Mitte lived with cerebral palsy and drew on his personal experience to bring authenticity to his role as the son of Bryan Cranston and Anna Gunn's characters on the series. The character was based on a college friend of show creator Vince Gilligan. Mitte won a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2014 for his performance on the show. [1][2][3][6][12]

Born Roy Frank Mitte III in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1992, Mitte was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age three. He relocated to Los Angeles in 2006 to pursue acting roles that could help educate viewers about disabilities, before landing his breakthrough role on Breaking Bad in 2008. Beyond acting, Mitte worked extensively as a philanthropist and disability rights advocate. [1][2][3][12][13]

Former co-stars paid tribute to Mitte following the announcement of his death. Dean Norris, who played DEA agent Hank Schrader on the series, posted on social media that he was heartbroken by the news, describing Mitte as a sweetheart of a young man. [5][6][7]