FILE - RJ Mitte takes part in a lively panel discussion, "The Power of TV: Representing Disability in Storytelling," a public event and co-presentation of the Television Academy Foundation and Easterseals on Wednesday, April 24, 2019, at the Saban Media Center in North Hollywood, Calif. (Photo by Phil McCarten/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Images)
Phil McCarten / AP
“Breaking Bad” actor and disability rights advocate RJ Mitte died Monday at age 34, authorities and his representatives said.
Cameron County Justice of the Peace Cyndi Hinojosa told The Associated Press she declared Mitte dead at about 1:30 p.m. at what she believed was his home in Brownsville, Texas. She said she was unable to provide a cause, but an autopsy will be performed.
Mitte played Walter White Jr., the son of Bryan Cranston’s chemistry teacher-turned-meth dealer Walter White on nearly every episode of the five seasons of the AMC show, which recently ranked as the best of the 21st century in a New York Times poll.
“Drawing from his own experience living with cerebral palsy, Mitte brought authenticity to the role and built a platform on disability awareness and inclusion,” Mitte’s representatives said in a statement announcing his death.
The statement said he used “his platform to challenge stereotypes and promote greater representation for people with disabilities.”
