Breaking Bad actor RJ Mitte’s cause of death has been identified as hanging, according to a report.
The 34-year-old actor, who died by suicide last month, was found at his Texas home by his mother.
An inquest report from Cameron County, Texas, said Mitte was pronounced dead at 1:32 p.m. on October 12, Page Six reported.
Mitte’s representative had previously confirmed that he had died by suicide but did not provide further details.
The representative told the outlet: “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of beloved actor, philanthropist and passionate disability rights advocate RJ Mitte.”
Mitte rose to fame playing Walter White Jr. on AMC’s hit series Breaking Bad, which ran from 2008 to 2013.
His mother, Dyna, previously described finding her son when she went to bring him lunch on the day he died.
Mitte appeared to be in high spirits at his final red-carpet appearance, the September 30 premiere of his film Talking to Strangers
Mitte appeared alongside Bryan Cranston and Anna Gunn in Breaking Bad
Dyna said she called Mitte that morning but could not reach him. She noted that this was not unusual because he often slept until midday.
She told NBC News: “So I called him at 11. He didn’t answer, so I picked up lunch and went to take it to him, and that’s when I discovered him.”
Dyna said she had spent three months encouraging her son to seek therapy, but he repeatedly told her he could manage on his own.
“I’ve been offering for him to go to therapy, trying to get him to go there, but he was like, ‘No, I’ve got it. It’s OK. I’m handling it,’” she said.
She said she wished she had taken him to therapy “screaming and yelling,” adding that she believed his decision to end his life had been made in a “spur of the moment” decision.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter about the tragedy, Dyna acknowledged that there had been concerns about her son’s mental health.
“It was more about the conversations we were having — not just with me, but with his team and friends,” she said.
“There were concerns. That’s why I encouraged him to talk to a counsellor. I told him to talk to a therapist and share his feelings and how he saw things.”
Mitte was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of three. He appeared in 56 episodes of Breaking Bad and also starred in The Recall and The Guardians of Justice (Will Save You!).
He was also a prominent advocate for disabled actors and other people with disabilities working in the entertainment industry.
Bryan Cranston, who played Mitte’s on-screen father, shared his grief in an Instagram post, saying he was in “deep despair” following the death of his TV son.
“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,” Cranston wrote.
“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.”
Cranston revealed that he and Mitte had been in contact only a few weeks before his death. “All that promise and potential now is such a loss. It is especially devastating to hear that he took his own life,” he wrote.
“Why? 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.
“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.”
Mitte’s sister, Lacianne Carriere, wrote a heartbreaking tribute to her brother and vowed to do her best to heal.
The Breaking Bad actor’s devastated younger sister promised to do her best to heal
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Carriere said Mitte had been a father figure to her, a sentiment she shared during his celebration of life, where she delivered a tearful eulogy
“There are just no words,” Carriere wrote on Instagram alongside a series of childhood photographs. “You were just here. Your strawberry Fanta was still sitting on my coffee table when I got the call. Life hasn’t felt real since then.”
Carriere said Mitte had been a father figure to her, as she also explained during his celebration of life, where she delivered an emotional eulogy.
“RJ, you were my everything. I just lost my other half. I lost my brother but I also lost my father,” she wrote.
“Every single aspect of my personality is because of your influence. My music taste, my film taste, the video games I love. Because of you I am a collector. You taught me that even the smallest piece of paper can be a precious memory later on.”
Carriere continued: “Since the phone call I’ve been sitting around with your closest people almost every night sharing the craziest stories that could never be said anywhere else and god that was just you. You were the life of the party, coolest guy that we all tried to keep up with but never could. You made me, me.”
Mitte’s sister also reflected on the life and memories they would no longer be able to share.
“We had so much more to do, so many more memories to be shared and I don’t know if my heart can ever be whole again after losing the biggest piece of it,” she wrote.
“I just really need my brother right now. You would put on some lofi music and tell me to get up and go sit in the shower, how it always makes you feel better.
“I know you’re telling me right now that I’ll be okay though I don’t know how I will. But I promise I’m going to do my hardest and I promise your love will always live through me until the day I see you again.”
Carriere concluded: “I loved you completely. And you loved me the same. That’s all. The rest is confetti.”
The tribute came after Mitte’s younger sister broke down while delivering an emotional eulogy at his memorial service on October 16.
The service took place in Brownsville, Texas. During her speech, Carriere wept openly as she described their close relationship and explained how Mitte had taken on a father-figure role after their single mother was paralysed in an accident when Carriere was an infant.
“RJ Mitte was my older brother but I not only just lost a brother, I lost my father,” she said.
“My mom was a single mother and when I was two weeks old, she was in an accident that paralysed her from the waist down for the first few years of my life.
“And my brother immediately took on the father role. I don’t have many words that I can put together but all I can say is that every part of me is RJ,” Carriere said.
At his final red-carpet appearance, the September 30 premiere of Talking to Strangers at Beverly Hills’ Fine Arts Theatre, Mitte smiled for photographers.
Eight days before his death, he also made his final public appearance alongside Breaking Bad co-star Luis Moncada, 49, at a hot-air-balloon festival in New Mexico.
Although he appeared to be coping, those close to Mitte said his struggles had not gone away.
In an emotional interview with TMZ, Moncada discussed his final moments with Mitte and said his friend had been “struggling” and “pulled in all kinds of directions.” He declined to provide further details out of respect for Mitte.
Mitte died one year after becoming engaged to his girlfriend, Kennedy Suarez, on her 30th birthday.
“I’m thrilled to have found my person, my partner in life who makes me want to be better, no matter what we’re doing,” Mitte told People.
He added: “Kennedy is my everything and I can’t wait to officially start our life together and see what adventures life takes us on next.”
Mitte proposed at the 56th annual Dia del Sol 2025 benefit in Carlsbad, California. The fundraiser supported United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of San Diego, for which he served as an ambassador.
After the engagement, Suarez wrote on Instagram: “My 30th felt like a fairytale…. I have the man of my dreams by my side & we are doing what we love most — helping others.”
The couple lived in Brownsville, Texas, while Mitte served as president of The Mitte Foundation, his family’s Austin-based charity.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.