Actor RJ Mitte, known for playing the son of Walter White in the hit AMC series “Breaking Bad” and as an advocate for the rights of those with disabilities, has died at the age of 34, his representatives said Monday. “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of beloved a ctor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate RJ Mitte,” representatives for Mitte said. Mitte died Monday in Brownsville, Texas, where he had moved, Brownsville Justice of the Peace Judge Cyndi Hinojosa said. Hinojosa said she declared him dead at 1:32 p.m. but that she could not disclose the cause of death. In the award-winning “Breaking Bad,” Mitte played Walter White Jr., the teenage son of a high school teacher who becomes a methamphetamine producer, played by Bryan Cranston. That series, which debuted in January 2008 when he was 15, provided his breakout role. Cranston said he is in “deep despair” for the loss of his “sweet son.” “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,” Cranston said in a Facebook post Monday night. “Born with Cerebral Palsy, he never — ever — allowed that challenge to be an excuse for anything. He met the demanding shooting schedule head on with great determination.” Mitte also starred in the 2020 horror film “The Oak Room” and the 2017 sci-fi film “The Recall.” Mitte had cerebral palsy, which was reflected on “Breaking Bad,” and was an advocate for the rights of people living with disabilities. “Drawing from his own experience living with cerebral palsy, Mitte brought authenticity to the role and built a platform on disability awareness and inclusion,” his representatives said in the statement. “Beyond entertaining friends and family around the world, he served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s,” they said in the statement. “He also served as president of The Mitte Foundation, supporting philanthropic efforts and community initiatives, while using his platform to challenge stereotypes and promote greater representation for people with disabilities,” they said. The representatives asked for privacy for Mitte’s family and loved ones. Hinojosa, the justice of the peace, said that Mitte “will be very, very much missed” in Brownsville. “He was so gracious to our town,” Hinojosa said in a phone interview. Mitte was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and doctors diagnosed cerebral palsy when he was 3 years old, he told VICE in a 2016 interview. He was 12 or 13 years old when he moved to Los Angeles, he said. “I started acting to meet kids my own age,” he said in the VICE interview. In a 2021 interview, Mitte told “Big Issue” that favorable media and critical reception of “Breaking Bad” helped keep the show on the air in its first few years. “It wasn’t the viewers, because we didn’t have the numbers to stay as a network show,” Mitte said. It wasn’t until later seasons, that “we really got the viewership,” he said. The show ran for five seasons, from 2008 to 2013. In that same interview, Mitte credited his family for supporting him when the public perception of people with cerebral palsy was negative. When he was younger, he said, some believed he would never walk or talk properly or have a typical life or career. “That was the perception when I was a kid,” Mitte said in the interview. “And my family was like, ‘No. He’s going to go do things.’” Mitte told VICE in 2016 that he considered himself fortunate to be able to make a difference. “I’m lucky that I can be an advocate. I’m lucky that I can do what I do and talk to the people I get to talk to,” he said. “I think we all have an obligation to have an impact for the positive,” he said. ...read more read less