RJ Mitte, the actor and disability-rights advocate best known for playing Walter White Jr. on Breaking Bad, has died at the age of 34.
The Associated Press and Reuters confirmed Mitte’s death on October 12. Authorities said he died in Brownsville, Texas. An official cause of death had not been announced at the time of publication, with an autopsy pending.
A defining Breaking Bad role
Mitte appeared throughout AMC’s five-season run of Breaking Bad as the son of Bryan Cranston’s Walter White and Anna Gunn’s Skyler White. Like his character, Mitte lived with cerebral palsy, and his performance was widely recognised for bringing greater visibility and authenticity to disability representation on television.
His work on the series helped launch a career that later included appearances in Switched at Birth, The Recall, The Oak Room and The Guardians of Justice. He had also been promoting the film Talking to Strangers shortly before his death.
Advocacy beyond acting
Mitte used his public profile to campaign for greater inclusion of people with disabilities in entertainment and society. He served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s and led the Mitte Foundation, which supported charitable and community work.
His representatives remembered him as an actor, philanthropist and passionate advocate who challenged stereotypes and pushed for greater representation.
Mitte was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age three. He moved to Los Angeles as a teenager and began acting before landing the role that would make him internationally known.
Sources: Associated Press and Reuters, October 12, 2026.