Bryan Cranston ‘in despair’ after death of Breaking Bad co-star RJ Mitte

Breaking Bad cast members Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul and Dean Norris were among the first colleagues to publicly grieve RJ Mitte after news emerged Monday that the actor had died by suicide at age 34.

Cranston, 70, said he was “in deep despair” over the loss. In an emotional Instagram tribute, he wrote: “I’ll miss you, son.”

“RJ Mitte, my sweet son on Breaking Bad has died,” Cranston wrote alongside a photograph of the pair. “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.”

Mitte was born with cerebral palsy, but Cranston said he never allowed the condition to limit him. “He never—ever—allowed that challenge to be an excuse for anything,” the actor wrote. “He met the demanding shooting schedule head-on with great determination.”

Cranston recalled that Mitte listened to guidance from his onscreen parents, Anna Gunn and Cranston, while occasionally choosing to learn lessons for himself. “He was one of the stars of a hit TV show—but still a kid,” he wrote.

“That kid was pretty raw when we started shooting the pilot in February of 2007, but little by little we watched him grow into a really fine actor,” Cranston added.

Cranston also highlighted Mitte’s work away from the screen. “He parlayed his experience on the show to be a vocal advocate for performers with disabilities, and was the head of a philanthropic organization with a focus on helping the disabled community,” he wrote. “All that promise and potential now is such a loss.”

“It is especially devastating to hear that he took his own life. Why?” Cranston continued. “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,” Cranston wrote. “I’ll miss you, son.”

“I am at a loss,” Paul, 47, told The Hollywood Reporter. “I am heartbroken over this news. RJ, I love you my friend. You will be missed. And to whoever happens to be reading this, please know you are loved, and you are not alone. Always remember that.”

Norris, 63, shared his shock and sadness in an X post in the wake of hearing the tragic news.

Norris said he had only just learned of Mitte’s death while working. “Oh my God! Was working, just found out about RJ,” he said. “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,” Norris continued. “This is so heartbreaking, I can’t believe it. Thinking of him and his family.”

A county official confirmed to TMZ that Mitte, best known for playing Walter White Jr. on Breaking Bad, died Monday in Texas. A death investigation remains ongoing, while a separate source told the publication that his death was a suicide.

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul and Anna Gunn for additional comment.

Mitte appeared in 56 episodes of Breaking Bad between 2008 and 2013. His other credits included The Recall and The Guardians of Justice (Will Save You.).

Elsewhere, Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin wrote, ‘My heart is shattered. There will never be another like RJ Mitte. You will always have a place in my heart. RIP.’

DC Studios head James Gunn said in a post on Threads, ‘RJ was a really sweet guy. I am so sorry to hear this.’ 

Moonrise Kingdom star Jared Gilman said on X that news of Mitte’s death was ‘beyond heartbreaking.’

He added: ‘His work on breaking bad was incredible and I think a big reason why ozymandias had a 10/10 IMDb rating was due to his performance being so powerfully shattering. just the f***ing worst news ever. RIP.’

Vincent Martella, of Phineas and Ferb, said of Mitte: ‘What a kind and wonderful person. 

‘Devastating. So young and genuinely nice to everyone he spoke to. This is truly awful. Sending love to his family.’ 

Mitte was diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP) when he was three, and he went on to advocate for actors and those working in the entertainment industry with disabilities. 

Actor Eric West said in a post on X, ‘Wow, this absolutely broke my heart. We used to hang out during NYFW, and he was always such a kind soul. RJ Mitte was so talented and gone far too soon. Rest peacefully.’ 

Mitte’s representative told TMZ Monday: ‘It is with profound sadness we share the tragic passing of beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate RJ Mitte.

‘RJ Mitte was best known for his role as Walter “Flynn” White Jr on AMC’s critically acclaimed, award-winning series Breaking Bad. 

‘Drawing from his own experience living with cerebral palsy, Mitte brought authenticity to the role and built a platform on disability awareness and inclusion. 

‘Beyond entertaining friends and family around the world, he served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s.’

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Mitte and the Brownsville Police Department for further comment. 

The Emmy-winning series Breaking Bad ran from 2008 to 2013 and garnered widespread acclaim from both fans and critics worldwide.

It followed Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a terminally ill high school chemistry teacher who creates a meth empire with Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), his inept former student.

Mitte’s shock death comes a year after the actor got 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 gushed: ‘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 fundraising event benefited United Cerebral Palsy of San Diego, for which he was an ambassador.

Following the engagement, Suarez took to Instagram to write: ‘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.’ 

Mitte and Suarez lived in Brownsville, Texas, and the actor was president of The Mitte Foundation, his family’s Austin-based charity.

The Foundation rejuvenates and funds South Texas-based marginalized communities.

CP is a group of disorders that affect movement, posture and balance due to abnormal brain development or damage.

Symptoms range from muscle stiffness and poor motor control to difficulties with balance and coordination.

During his life, Mitte called for larger representation of disabled actors on television. 

‘Representation is everything, as we’ve seen over the last ten years with the growth of representation on television,’ he told WUWF in 2023. 

‘Having positive influences of individuals with disabilities, not just cerebral palsy, but all of them, changes the mindset. TV is something that we all share; we all watch. TV really brings communities together in a way that you might not realize through social outlet. 

‘I think that can really inspire individuals, and that can do wonders for confidence and self-esteem. If you see a character that’s going through the same struggle as you, and they’re succeeding, and in your life you may not be, it can help inspire you to get that extra push,’ he added.

In 2016, Mitte described how much he would ‘love’ to turn on the TV to watch a disabled person discuss something ‘that doesn’t just focus on their impairment.’

‘We know lots of progress is being made, but the industry must do more to help disabled people work both in front of and behind the camera,’ he told the Irish Examiner, according to Variety. ‘During the Paralympics there will be more disabled people than ever before on TV, but this shouldn’t be something that just happens every four years.’

‘I would love to switch on my TV and see a disabled person talking about something they are genuinely interested in or acting out a part that doesn’t just focus on their impairment.’ 

Mitte also credited his disability for taking him in the direction he went down:  ‘I wouldn’t be in the position I am in today without my disability,’ he said. ‘I utilized everything I know about living with cerebral palsy for my role in Breaking Bad.’ 

In 2019, five years after Breaking Bad, Mitte admitted he still missed being a part of the show’s cast.

‘That’s going to follow me ’til the day I die,’ he told The Sydney Morning Herald as he reflected on his time on the hit AMC series.

The role took Mitte’s career to a whole new level and ‘opened a lot of doors’ for him.

‘Breaking Bad put me on the map,’ he told The Independent in 2021. ‘You’re only talking to me today because of it. None of my projects would exist without that show and the opportunity it gave me. It really opened a lot of doors for me. I wouldn’t have the media profile and the following that I have today without Walter White Jr. I would just be some kid who lives in Texas.’ 

In what appears to be one of his last interviews, Mitte reflected on the end of Breaking Bad and how the show set an ‘unobtainable’ bar with The Joe Vulpis Podcast.  

‘I don’t think it was [the] end. That was really the end of Heisenberg’s journey but I don’t think that was the end of Skyler, Walt, and Holly’s journey,’ Mitte said.

‘I think there’s a lot of unanswered questions there that for them, will probably never be answered. And so I think there’s still a big step for the White family.’

‘There’s more to be told,’ the interviewer said.

‘There’s always more to be told,’ he added. ‘But you got to tell it right!’ he said. ‘Again, if something happens in the future with the show… the fans control that, really, truly, like, the fans control what continues to get made.’

‘I think it’d go right to the top,’ the interviewer said. ‘Top of Netflix, top of wherever it’s streaming.’

‘I want to top Breaking Bad,’ he said. ‘That’s the hardest… I set a bar for myself as a young man that is kind of unobtainable. And I tell people, I say, look, it’s a long way down from the top of the mountain.’

Mitte hails from Mississippi and was six years old when he found out he was adopted. 

‘I was about six when I was told that I was adopted,’ he told the Sydney Morning Herald in 2019. ‘My stepbrother heard my mom and my then-stepdad talking and said to me, “You are adopted. They don’t love you.” I didn’t believe him, but my parents confirmed that I was. I was like, “Okay.”’ 

‘I’ve never felt the need to track my birth mother,’ he said. ‘Medically, I’d like to know my family history, but until I feel that need, I have enough family and friends. I don’t need any more.’

Mitte’s mother chose to adopt him as she believed she would be unable to have her own children due to an ovarian cancer diagnosis. 

‘The reason Mom adopted me was because she’d had ovarian cancer and was told she couldn’t have children. Then, magically, 11 years later, my sister Lacianne came along.’

Mitte’s mother lost her job after a car accident left her partially paralyzed for six years, and he did all he could to keep their family afloat. 

‘A few months later, Mom was in a car accident and was partially paralysed for six years. After the accident, she was fired from her job. She was a single parent, and we had just moved into a new place in Louisiana and feared we would lose everything.

‘I mowed lawns, picked up stuff and took it places. I did whatever I could to scrape cash together. I have devoted my life to my mom and my sister, and I still take care of them today.’

If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org