Bryan Cranston broke his silence Monday evening with an emotional Instagram tribute to his on-screen son.
The 69-year-old actor, who played chemistry-teacher-turned-meth-kingpin Walter White opposite Mitte’s Walter White Jr. On AMC’s “Breaking Bad,” posted alongside a younger photo of the two of them together. Cranston wrote that he met Mitte when the young actor was just 14 years old and cast as Walter White Jr., “a part he played with such joy and enthusiasm.”
“Born with Cerebral Palsy, he never – ever – allowed that challenge to be an excuse for anything,” Cranston continued on Instagram. “He met the demanding shooting schedule head on with great determination.”
Cranston recalled how Mitte would listen to advice from his TV parents, himself and Anna Gunn, “but being a teenager, sometimes mischievously ignoring the counsel in order to learn the hard way.” He noted that despite being “one of the stars of a hit TV show,” Mitte “was still a kid,” one who arrived “pretty raw” when pilot shooting began in February 2007 but grew “little by little” into “a really fine actor.”
The veteran actor highlighted how Mitte leveraged his platform into advocacy, becoming “a vocal advocate for performers with disabilities” and heading “a philanthropic organization with a focus on helping the disabled community.”
Cranston’s grief carried an added sting of recent connection. “We were texting each other just a few weeks ago – figuring out when we could meet for lunch,” he wrote. “I don’t know if that lunch would have changed his future.”
The death, which Cranston’s post identified as suicide, prompted him to ask plainly: “Why?” He called it “such a loss” before concluding, “I do know that I loved him, and thoroughly enjoyed being with him throughout the years on the series.” He finished by adding a suicide hotline number and urging anyone who needs it to please use it.
Aaron Paul, who played Jesse Pinkman, issued a statement obtained by the Hollywood Reporter. “I am at a loss. I am heartbroken over this news,” Paul wrote. “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.”
Dean Norris, who portrayed DEA agent Hank Schrader, shared his own grief on X. “Though RJ didn’t play my TV son, I always looked out for him as a young kid on set,” Norris posted. “He was a sweetheart of a young man and will be greatly missed,” He added, “This is so heartbreaking, I can’t believe it. Thinking of him and his family.”
Mitte’s representative confirmed the death in a statement, calling it “with profound sadness” that they shared “the tragic passing of beloved actor, philanthropist and passionate disability rights advocate RJ Mitte.” The rep noted that Mitte “was best known for his role as Walter ‘Flynn’ White Jr.” and that “drawing from his own experience living with cerebral palsy, Mitte brought authenticity to the role and built a platform on disability awareness and inclusion.”
The outlet, which first reported the news, stated that Mitte died by suicide Monday in Texas, with a county official confirming to the outlet that the death investigation remains ongoing. Mitte was 34.
Mitte spent five seasons on the acclaimed drama, which premiered in January 2008 and concluded in September 2013, chronicling Walter White’s transformation from meek high school chemistry teacher to feared drug lord while his son navigated adolescence with a disability that mirrored the actor’s own. The role made Mitte one of the most visible actors with a disability on television, a platform he expanded into producing and advocacy work in the years following the show’s conclusion.
His upcoming film has been put on hold following his death.