Breaking Bad's RJ Mitte Dead at 34

Born in 1992, Mitte was adopted by Ray Frank Mitte Jr. and his Dyna Mitte, though he wasn't diagnosed with cerebral palsy until age 3. He later experienced bullying due to his condition. 

"I was verbally harassed, knocked down, and even had my hand broken," Mitte told Brain Health in 2015. "Having CP made me a target for bullies, and I learned that kids with disabilities are twice as likely to be bullied as other kids."

But it taught him resilience from a young age, as he added, "If I was pushed, I learned to get back up."

Mitte pursued acting as a teen and made his onscreen debut in 2007, playing a jock in an episode of Hannah Montana. However, he got his big break at age 14 when he made it on Breaking Bad.

"When I read the role when I when I got the listing, it said, 'Dark hair, big eyebrows, mild cerebral palsy,' and I'm like, 'Done. That's me. I'm in it,'" Mitte shared on Locked in With Ian Bick in 2025, though he noted, "It didn't work that way."

"I auditioned five times over the course of six months: four in Los Angeles, one in New Mexico," he explained. "And I was the very last cast member to be cast."

Mitte shared that he had to put in work to nail the role and regress from his own therapy.

“It was very hard to regress. I had to stay up real late so I could learn to blur my speech more,” he told AMC in 2008. “I had to learn how to use crutches so it didn't look like I'm faking walking. I didn't want to look like just another faker because I really have it. If you're going to do it, you have to do it the full way."

In fact, his mom proved to be an important reference point in reminding him of his own journey. As he put it, "No matter if you're regressing or if you're trying to make it look bad, you need to still try to do it right.”

Following his stint on Breaking Bad, he landed roles in The Oak Room, The Recall, The Guardians of Justice and more. He also served as president of The Mitte Foundation—which aimed to improve the quality of life of Texans—as well as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s.

Beyond his Hollywood career, Mitte celebrated a major personal milestone last year when he got engaged to girlfriend Kennedy Suarez.

"Thank you to my love @kennedyblaire for all the love and support you give me everyday," he wrote on Instagram at the time. "I’ve found that love is not always sunshine and rainbows, and for me, what love comes down to is trust and believing in each other, regardless of the situation, during the good times, the bad times, and everything in between!"

The Unseen alum continued, "I’ve been grateful for all the love and kindness I have been given over the years, but Kennedy has been the greatest unconditional love no matter what we are going through, no matter what we are facing type love and we face it all together. I will never stop lifting her up like she has for me and can’t wait for our future."