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Content warning: This story discusses suicide.
Bryan Cranston is mourning his onscreen son.
After his Breaking Bad costar RJ Mitte died by suicide at the age of 34, the Emmy winner shared he is in “deep despair” while reflecting on his bond with the actor.
“RJ Mitte, my sweet son on Breaking Bad has died,” Cranston wrote on Instagram Oct. 12. “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.”
He explained that the pair had stayed in touch since the show ended in 2013, even sharing their final conversation.
“We were texting each other just a few weeks ago—figuring out when we could meet for lunch,” he said. “I don’t know if that lunch would have changed his future… But I do know that I loved him, and thoroughly enjoyed being with him throughout the years on the series, and after the spotlight on Breaking Bad dimmed.”
The 70-year-old also commended Mitte for embracing his cerebral palsy—a group of conditions that affect movement, balance and posture, per the Mayo Clinic—while portraying his character.
“He never—ever—allowed that challenge to be an excuse for anything,” Cranston continued. “He met the demanding shooting schedule head on with great determination.”
Plus, the Tony Award winner cheekily noted that while Mitte was a great student of his and his onscreen wife Anna Gunn‘s advice, he would still find the then-teenager “mischievously ignoring the counsel in order to learn the hard way.”
“That kid was pretty raw when we started shooting the pilot in February of 2007, but little by little we watched him grow into a really fine actor,” Cranston added. “He parlayed his experience on the show to be a vocal advocate for performers with disabilities, and was the head of a philanthropic organization with a focus on helping the disabled community.”
After learning that Mitte died by suicide, the Malcolm in the Middle lamented how “all that promise and potential now is such a loss.”
Cranston simply concluded his message, “I’ll miss you, son.”
Cranston and Mitte respectively starred as Walter White and Walter White Jr. on the AMC series for five seasons from 2008 to 2013. The pair last publicly reunited with the Breaking Bad cast at the 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Since the end of the show, Mitte had emphasized that there was still “very much” a strong bond between him and Cranston, as well as Gunn.
“There’s definitely a lot of family dynamics when you work with a group so closely for so many years,” he said on the Cassius Morris Official podcast in 2021. “You do have that family dynamic part and that respect.”
In fact, Mitte added, “I respect them as much as I respect my mom and my father.”
Just as “unbelieveable” to him, though, was how much Breaking Badwas embraced by audiences.
“It’s truly life-changing,” he said on the Oct. 5 episode of The Joe Vulpis Podcast about being part of the show’s legacy. “Back then, we really didn’t realize how impactful the show was going to be.”
Shortly after Mitte’s death, his other costar Aaron Paul reacted to the tragic news.
“I am at a loss,” Paul, who played Jesse Pinkman, toldThe Hollywood Reporter in an Oct. 12 statement. “I am heartbroken over this news. 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.”
Meanwhile, his onscreen uncle Dean Norris wrote on X, “Though RJ didn’t play my TV son, I always looked out for him as a young kid on set,” he continued. “He was a sweetheart of a young man and will be greatly missed. This is so heartbreaking, I can’t believe it. Thinking of him and his family.”
For a look back at Mitte’s life in photos, keep scrolling…
If you or someone you know needs help, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/re
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