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Breaking Bad actor RJ Mitte, best known for playing Walter White Jr. (Flynn) on the hit AMC series, has died at age 34.
According to TMZ, a county official confirmed that Mitte died by suicide on Monday, October 12, in Texas. Law enforcement officials have stated that an investigation is ongoing, and his representatives have requested privacy for his family during this incredibly difficult time.
During his life, Mitte was an advocate for greater representation of actors with disabilities in Hollywood. Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at three years old, he used his Hollywood platform to become a leading disability-rights activist. In an interview, Mitte admitted to auditioning five times for the role of Flynn, and what it is like to break into the industry as an actor with cerebral palsy. “I’ve been working with amazing organizations that are working to change that,” said Mitte. “And to get people, not just people with disabilities, but everyone, giving them access and giving them the ability to be the best. You don’t see a lot of disabled workers in general. It’s a very rough world that we live in.”
In an Instagram post in 2023, Mitte revealed that he had been in a relationship with Kennedy Suarez since 2018. In October 2025, he announced their engagement.
Just days before his death, he reunited with Breaking Bad costar Luis Moncada, sharing smiling photos of himself on Instagram from Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. The New Mexico city was where a majority of Breaking Bad was originally filmed.
At the time of his passing, Mitte was living in and working on community and arts projects in Brownsville, Texas, which is his grandfather’s hometown. In an interview on the town’s community page on Facebook, the proud Texan said, “Look for the difference you want to make. Look for the difference that you believe in. I think it’s so important that when we have worked with others, it is not just about our goals. It’s your goals as well. What are you trying to achieve, and what are you trying to achieve for your community?”
His Breaking Bad costar Dean Norris, who played his uncle Hank Schrader on the series, wrote a post on X (formerly Twitter) detailing his shock and sadness over the news of Mitte’s death. “Oh, my God! Was working just found out about RJ,” wrote the actor. “I am heartbroken. Though RJ didn’t play my TV son, I always looked out for him as a young kid on set. He was a sweetheart of a young man and will be greatly missed. This is so heartbreaking, I can’t believe it. Thinking of him and his family.”
Costar Bryan Cranston took to Facebook to pay tribute to Mitte. “I’m in deep despair as I write this tonight. RJ Mitte, my sweet son on Breaking Bad has died. I met him when he was only 14 years old, when he was cast as Walter White Jr., a part he played with such joy and enthusiasm,” wrote the actor. “Born with Cerebral Palsy, he never – ever – allowed that challenge to be an excuse for anything. He met the demanding shooting schedule head-on with great determination. Always listening to the advice that his TV parents (Anna Gunn and myself) gave him – but being a teenager, sometimes mischievously ignoring the counsel in order to learn the hard way… He was one of the stars of a hit TV show – but still a kid.”
“We were texting each other just a few weeks ago – figuring out when we could meet for lunch. I don’t know if that lunch would have changed his future,” wrote Cranston. “But I do know that I loved him, and thoroughly enjoyed being with him throughout the years on the series, and after the spotlight on Breaking Bad dimmed…”
“I’ll miss you, son. I can’t stop there without imploring anyone who is contemplating suicide to please call for the support you need at 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. There is hope,” wrote Cranston.
Mitte appeared in 56 episodes of Breaking Bad, a role that would become his most recognizable. His other credits included The Oak Room, The Recall, and The Guardians of Justice, leaving behind a body of work that extended well beyond the series that made him famous.