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

RJ Mitte, the actor who played Walter White Jr. on "Breaking Bad," has died. He was 34.

A representative for Mitte confirmed his death to Variety. A cause of death was not disclosed in that report. TMZ separately reported, citing a county official, that Mitte died Monday in Texas and that law enforcement was continuing to investigate.

Mitte starred as the son of Bryan Cranston and Anna Gunn's characters on the AMC drama "Breaking Bad," created by Vince Gilligan and broadcast from 2008 to 2013. The series is widely regarded as one of the most acclaimed television dramas ever made. Mitte appeared in more than 50 episodes across its five seasons.

Cerebral palsy, on screen and off

Mitte had cerebral palsy, the same condition as his character on the show. He was diagnosed at the age of three, after a complicated birth, and spent part of his childhood in leg casts and using crutches.

Mitte said in interviews that his own form of the condition was milder than Walter Jr.'s, and that he had to adjust his movement and speech to portray the character as written. The casting process for the role took several months; he has described auditioning multiple times in Los Angeles and New Mexico.

Gilligan has said the character was based in part on a friend he knew in college who had cerebral palsy and died young.

The role raised Mitte's public profile substantially, and he became known as an advocate for disability representation in entertainment. In 2013 he received the SAG-AFTRA Harold Russell Award at the Media Access Awards for his portrayal of Walter White Jr.

"Drawing from his own experience living with cerebral palsy, Mitte brought authenticity to the role and built a platform on disability awareness and inclusion," his representative said in a statement announcing his death, describing him as a "passionate disability rights advocate."

Advocacy and other work

Mitte served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children's. He was also president of his own organization, the Mitte Foundation, which supported philanthropic work and, in his description, sought to challenge stereotypes about people with disabilities.

His other screen credits included Mind Master in the Netflix series "The Guardians of Justice," the 2017 film "The Recall" and the 2020 film "The Oak Room." He also appeared in "Hannah Montana" early in his career and in "Switched at Birth." He had several projects in production or pre-production at the time of his death.

Mitte was promoting "Talking to Strangers," a film he appeared in, in the days before he died, including podcast interviews. In an appearance on the Joe Vulpis Podcast earlier in October, he discussed his early auditions and the months-long process of winning the "Breaking Bad" role.

Mitte was engaged to Kennedy Suarez, his partner since 2018.

His death was announced the same day by multiple outlets. Variety's report was confirmed by Mitte's representative.

Sources

Variety, "RJ Mitte, 'Breaking Bad' Star, Dies at 34" (October 12, 2026); TMZ; Wikipedia, "RJ Mitte"; People; IMDb.