RJ Mitte, Breaking Bad Actor, Dead at 34

RJ Mitte, who played Walter Jr. on Breaking Bad, died at the age of 34, Vulture confirms. “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate RJ Mitte,” his rep shared in a statement. No cause of death has been confirmed.

He moved to Los Angeles with his mother and sister as a teenager and soon began acting as an extra in shows like Hannah Montana. He was eventually cast as Walter White’s breakfast loving son, Walter Jr., in Breaking Bad, becoming a fan and crew favorite; creator Vince Gilligan said he intended to kill off Walter Jr. early, like Jesse Pinkman, but changed his mind quickly. “Early on, I pitched to my writers, I had this idea where Walter Jr. gets killed by this nasty guy that Walt is somehow in business with,” Gilligan explained on Conan. “And all my writers looked at me like I had completely lost my mind and was the most horrible person to ever live.” Mitte won the SAG-AFTRA Harold Russell Award in 2013 for his work on the show.

Mitte was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of three and, as an adult, served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s. He advocated for people with disabilities and served as president of The Mitte Foundation. He was engaged to his longtime partner, Kennedy Suarez.