Highlights
- Breaking Bad actor RJ Mitte died Monday in Texas at 34; TMZ reported suicide and the investigation is ongoing.
- Like his character Walt Jr., Mitte had cerebral palsy and used his platform to push for disabled performers.
- He got engaged to longtime partner Kennedy Suarez last October and led his family’s Mitte Foundation in Texas.
RJ Mitte, who played Walter “Flynn” White Jr. on “Breaking Bad,” has died. He was 34.
A county official confirmed to TMZ that Mitte died Monday in Texas, and the outlet reported he died by suicide. Law enforcement told TMZ the “death investigation is ongoing.”
His representatives confirmed the death Monday, Oct. 12, saying he died in Brownsville, Texas, his grandfather’s hometown. They did not give a cause of death.
“It is with profound sadness we share the tragic passing of beloved actor,” the statement began.
The reps said Mitte drew on his own life with cerebral palsy to bring authenticity to the role, then built a platform around disability awareness and inclusion. They asked the public to respect the privacy of his family and loved ones.
From Extra to Walt Jr.
Mitte moved to Los Angeles with his family in 2006 and worked as a background extra, including on Disney’s Hannah Montana, before taking acting lessons. He soon landed the part that defined his career.
Like his character, Mitte had cerebral palsy, though his case was milder. He learned to walk on crutches and slowed his speech to play a more pronounced form of the condition.
He appeared in 56 episodes as the son of Bryan Cranston‘s Walter White. He shared the 2014 Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding ensemble in a drama series.
His one regret? Never sharing the screen with Aaron Paul. “I definitely wish we could have had a scene together,” Mitte told Courageous Nerd.
After the show, he worked on Switched at Birth, The Oak Room and The Recall. His last film role was Fitz in 2025’s Westhampton.
The Advocacy
Doctors diagnosed Mitte with cerebral palsy at age 3. He wore leg braces and used crutches for much of his childhood.
He won the SAG-AFTRA Harold Russell Award at the 2013 Media Access Awards, and SAG later named him a spokesman for actors with disabilities. He was also an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and worked with Shriners Hospitals for Children on an anti-bullying campaign for kids with disabilities.
He served as president of The Mitte Foundation, his family’s Austin-based charity, which funds projects across South Texas, including the Mitte Cultural District in Brownsville.
That work registered locally. “Thank you, RJ, for everything you did for Brownsville,” read one tribute from area social media pages.
“My Person”
Mitte proposed to Kennedy Suarez, his girlfriend of five years, on her 30th birthday at the Día del Sol gala, a fundraiser for United Cerebral Palsy of San Diego. The engagement was announced in October 2025.
The pair had been friends for more than a decade before they began dating.
“I’m thrilled to have found my person,” Mitte told People at the time. He called Suarez his everything and said he couldn’t wait to start their life together.
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