RJ Mitte, 'Breaking Bad' actor and disability-rights advocate, dies at 34

RJ Mitte, the actor best known for playing Walter “Flynn” White Jr. on AMC’s “Breaking Bad” and a prominent disability-rights advocate, died Monday at 34, his representatives confirmed. As of Monday night, officials had not publicly released a cause of death.

The Associated Press reported that Cameron County Justice of the Peace Cyndi Hinojosa declared Mitte dead at about 1:30 p.m. local time at what she believed was his home in Brownsville, Texas. An autopsy will be performed, according to the AP. No official cause of death had been announced.

SAG-AFTRA, the union representing film and television performers, publicly acknowledged his death in a Bluesky post Monday evening UTC. “We’re saddened by the passing of RJ Mitte, who rose to fame playing Walter ‘Flynn’ White Jr. on the hit series ‘Breaking Bad,’” the union wrote, noting that Mitte was part of the show’s 2014 Screen Actors Guild Award-winning drama ensemble.

A statement attributed to his representatives called him a “beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate.”

Mitte rose to fame as Walter White’s son on “Breaking Bad,” one of the defining American television dramas of its era. The AMC series ran from 2008 to 2013 and made him widely recognizable to mainstream audiences alongside stars including Bryan Cranston, who played chemistry teacher-turned-drug kingpin Walter White.

He was part of the “Breaking Bad” cast that won the Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series for the show’s final season in 2014. His performance also stood out because both the actor and the character had cerebral palsy, a rarity in a major television drama and an important example of on-screen disability representation in Hollywood.

Born Roy Frank “RJ” Mitte III on Aug. 21, 1992, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age 3. Beyond acting, he became known for advocacy work tied to disability awareness and access. Prior reporting and profiles described him as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s, and as president of the Mitte Foundation.

That combination of visibility and advocacy gave Mitte an influence that extended beyond a single television role. For many viewers, he was a familiar face from one of the most celebrated dramas of the 21st century. For others, he was a public figure who showed that a performer with a disability could occupy a major place in a hit series without being reduced to it.