RJ Mitte, Walter White Jr. in Breaking Bad, dies at 34
His representatives confirmed the actor died Monday in Texas; Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul paid public tribute.
Actor RJ Mitte, who played Walter White Jr. on Breaking Bad, died at 34. He was pronounced dead in Brownsville, Texas, around 1:30 p.m. local time on Monday, Oct. 12, said Cameron County Justice of the Peace Cyndi Hinojosa, according to NPR, with AP text.
His representatives announced the death in a statement that, according to CBS News, was signed by his representative Sean Riley. The statement remembers Mitte as an actor, philanthropist and disability rights advocate, and asks for privacy for his family.
Authorities did not release a cause of death, and an autopsy is expected. AP and NBC News report that the actor's representatives attributed the death to suicide; CBS News' Oct. 12 update gave no cause. In Mexico, the Línea de la Vida of the Conasama offers free help around the clock at 800 911 2000.
Bryan Cranston, who played the character's father, posted a tribute on Instagram. He wrote that he was "in deep despair" and called Mitte "my sweet son on Breaking Bad," according to Yahoo Entertainment. Aaron Paul, who played Jesse Pinkman, told The Hollywood Reporter he was "at a loss" and "heartbroken." Dean Norris, also in the cast, called the news "so heartbreaking," according to CBS News.
Mitte lived with cerebral palsy and brought that condition to Walter White Jr. He appeared in nearly every episode of the show's five seasons, from 2008 to 2013. He later appeared in Switched at Birth and Guardians of Justice, and produced several independent films.
Besides acting, he served as an ambassador for Shriners Children's and United Cerebral Palsy, and chaired The Mitte Foundation. In 2014 he received SAG-AFTRA's Howard Russell Award, and he pushed Hollywood to widen the roles available to people with disabilities, according to CBS News.
Still pending are the autopsy result and the full text of his representatives' statement.
