RJ Mitte, Walter White Jr. on 'Breaking Bad,' Dies at 34

RJ Mitte, the actor who played Walter 'Flynn' White Jr. on AMC's "Breaking Bad," died Monday, Oct. 12, in Texas. He was 34.

His representatives confirmed the death in a statement. "It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate RJ Mitte," the statement said. It asked the public "to respect the privacy of RJ Mitte's family and close ones."

A county official told TMZ that Mitte died by suicide. Law enforcement told TMZ the death investigation is ongoing. His representatives have not given a cause of death.

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A role built on his own diagnosis

Mitte was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age 3. He was born in Jackson, Mississippi, suffered brain damage at birth and was adopted. His family moved to Los Angeles in 2006, and he started as a background extra, including on Disney's "Hannah Montana," before taking acting lessons.

He landed the part of Walter White Jr., the teenage son of Bryan Cranston's chemistry-teacher-turned-drug-manufacturer, when "Breaking Bad" premiered in 2008. He appeared in 56 episodes.

His own case of cerebral palsy was milder than his character's. To play the more severe version on screen, he used crutches and slowed his speech for the role. As an adult, he did not use crutches or have a speech impediment.

He was part of the cast that won the Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding drama series ensemble in 2014 for the show's final season.

Work after the show

Mitte kept working after the series ended in 2013. His credits include "Switched at Birth," "This Close," "Now Apocalypse," and the films "The Oak Room" and "The Recall." He played Mind Master in the Netflix superhero series "The Guardians of Justice (Will Save You!)." His most recent film credits include 2025's "Westhampton" and this year's "Talking to Strangers," in which he played Joshua.

He had been promoting "Talking to Strangers" in recent days. Last week he appeared on "The Joe Vulpis Podcast" and talked about how "Breaking Bad" changed his life and how close the cast remains. Earlier this month he posted photos with "Breaking Bad" costar Luis Moncada.

Variety reported that he had a handful of projects in pre-production and production.

Disability advocacy and charity work

Mitte spent much of his career pushing for disabled performers to get roles in Hollywood. He received the SAG-AFTRA Harold Russell Award, named for the first actor with a disability to win an Oscar. The Screen Actors Guild later named him a spokesperson for actors with disabilities.

He served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and partnered with Shriners Children's, including on an anti-bullying campaign for children with disabilities. He was also president of The Mitte Foundation, his family's Austin-based charity. The foundation funds community projects in South Texas, including the Mitte Cultural District in Brownsville.

"I think everyone that has a disability has the opportunity to make an impact with what they can do and who they are," he told the Badger Herald in 2015. "I wouldn't be able to do what I do today if it wasn't for my disability and what it instilled in me."

In a 2015 talk at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, tied to the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, he said: "I can't imagine my life being any different."

Personal life

Mitte was engaged to Kennedy Suarez, his partner since 2018. The two had been friends for more than a decade before they started dating. He proposed on Oct. 10, 2025, her 30th birthday, at the Día del Sol gala in Carlsbad, California, a fundraiser for United Cerebral Palsy of San Diego.

"I'm thrilled to have found my person, my partner in life who makes me want to be better, no matter what we're doing," Mitte told People after the proposal.

What remains open

The death investigation is ongoing, and neither law enforcement nor the county has released a formal finding beyond the official's account to TMZ. Mitte's representatives have said nothing about the circumstances and have asked that his family be left in peace.