RJ Mitte, Walter White Jr. in the series “Breaking Bad”, died at 34

It’s a shock for Breaking Bad fans. American actor RJ Mitte, who played the son of chemistry professor Walter White in the series, has died at the age of 34.

“It is with deep sadness that we announce the tragic death of RJ Mitte,” his agent Sean Reilly said on Tuesday, in a press release which did not specify the cause of his death.

An actor suffering from cerebral palsy

In Breaking Bad, a soap opera considered one of the greatest series in television history, the actor played Walter White Jr. – also known as Flynn White –, the family's teenager suffering from cerebral palsy. His father, played by Bryan Cranston, loved him with a tender love, which he betrayed by hiding his criminal drift towards drug trafficking.

RJ Mitte himself suffered from cerebral palsy, a pathology which causes permanent motor impairment due to early brain damage – occurring before birth or during childhood. “Drawing from his own experience of cerebral palsy, RJ Mitte brought authenticity to his role and created a platform dedicated to disability awareness and inclusion,” recalls the press release.

The actor thus took advantage of his career in Hollywood to defend people with disabilities. He was an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children's, and chaired his own charitable foundation, the Mitte Foundation, which supported various philanthropic initiatives and sought to combat stereotypes about people with disabilities.

Actor of series and films

The other stars of the Breaking Bad series began to pay tribute to him. Dean Norris, who played the DEA agent and brother-in-law of Walter White, said he was “heartbroken” on Instagram. “Even though RJ didn’t play the role of my son on screen, I always looked out for him when he was little on set,” the actor recalled.

Follow the series updates

In addition to his role in Breaking Bad, RJ Mitte also appeared in the series The Guardians of Justice and Switched, as well as the films The Recall and The Oak Room. He was about to release a new film, Talking to Strangers, which he was still promoting a few days ago.