Death and confirmation
RJ Mitte, the actor who portrayed Walter White Jr. on the acclaimed series Breaking Bad, has died at the age of 34. His representatives confirmed the death on Monday, saying he passed away in Brownsville, Texas. They did not provide an immediate cause of death. In a statement, his representatives expressed profound sadness over what they described as the tragic passing of a beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate. They also asked that the family's privacy be respected at this time.[S1][S2][S3][S4][S5][S6][S7][S8]
Breaking Bad and acting career
Portraying Walter Jr. across Breaking Bad's 2008 to 2013 run made Mitte a widely recognized face. That series earned 58 Primetime Emmy nominations and took home 16 trophies, two of them for Outstanding Drama Series. In 2014, Mitte shared in the cast honor for Ensemble in a Drama Series at what were then the SAG Awards. The part led to more film and television work: he headlined the 2021 drama Triumph as a high school senior with cerebral palsy who pushes himself to wrestle at enormous cost, appeared alongside Dove Cameron in 2024's Love Me Dead and with Finn Wittrock in 2025's Westhampton, and, per IMDb, most recently starred opposite Lin Yin in the indie film Talking to Strangers.[S1]
On television, Mitte's credits included Switched at Birth, Now Apocalypse, and The Guardians of Justice (Will Save You!). He also voiced a role in HCBS Final Rule: The Animated Series, a collection of short films created to highlight changes to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Community Based Services for people with intellectual disabilities in California.[S1]
Disability advocacy and philanthropy
Having cerebral palsy himself, Mitte turned the visibility he gained through Breaking Bad into advocacy for disability awareness and inclusion. His on-screen character, Walter Jr., likewise had cerebral palsy. A Louisiana native, he acted as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children's, and he headed The Mitte Foundation, which backs philanthropic efforts and community initiatives.[S1]
