Follow-Up: Rep Confirms R.J. Mitte's Cause of Death as 'Breaking Bad' Casting Director Sharon Bialy Pens Tribute and Cast Mourns
The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday evening (October 14) published a first-person remembrance of R.J. Mitte by Sharon Bialy, the casting director who, with her partner Sherry Thomas, handled casting for "Breaking Bad" and brought the actor to the attention of series creator Vince Gilligan. In the piece, as told to Scott Feinberg, Bialy reflects on Mitte's audition, his appeal and his legacy. Mitte died at his home in Brownsville, Texas, on October 12 at age 34; GSM reported his death the same day.
In TV Guide's 10th-anniversary oral history of the series, Bialy previously recalled how the casting came together: Gilligan wanted an actor who actually had cerebral palsy to play Walter White Jr., and while he considered someone whose condition presented more severely, Mitte had spent 10 to 12 years in therapy working to speak more clearly and walk without crutches. "You don't want to penalize someone who's worked so hard," she said. Mitte himself, on a podcast released October 5, described the audition process as one of the longest of his life — five readings over more than six months — and recalled that Bialy, then on crutches after a skiing injury, handed him her crutches at one audition; the forearm crutches used by Walter Jr. were modeled on a late friend of Gilligan's who had cerebral palsy.
On the cause of death, Mitte's representatives confirmed to People that he died by suicide; Variety likewise confirmed the cause through his representative. Brownsville police told CNN they received an emergency call around midday on October 12 and found Mitte already deceased; no foul play is suspected, the investigation is ongoing and an autopsy has been ordered. Cameron County Justice of the Peace Cyndi Hinojosa said she pronounced him dead at 1:32 p.m. local time. His family, through representatives, called him a "beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate" and asked that their privacy be respected.
Bryan Cranston, who played Mitte's on-screen father, said in a statement Monday night that he was in "deep despair," recalling that he met Mitte at 14 when he was cast as Walter White Jr. and that Mitte, born with cerebral palsy, "never — ever — allowed that challenge to be an excuse for anything." Cranston added that the two had been texting only weeks earlier about meeting for lunch, that learning Mitte took his own life was especially devastating, and closed: "I'll miss you, son." Aaron Paul, in a statement reported by THR, said he was "at a loss" and "heartbroken," adding, "please know you are loved, and you are not alone." Dean Norris wrote on social media that he had always looked out for Mitte as a young kid on set: "He was a sweetheart of a young man and will be greatly missed." Bob Odenkirk told People that Mitte was "a good person who shared his personal story and his time to help out others" and that the news was "simply, deeply sad." AMC said Mitte brought "authenticity, warmth and humanity" to the role.
The City of Brownsville announced a public celebration of life for Mitte on Friday (October 16) at 10 a.m. at The Mitte: Arts and Cultural Center, the former Brownsville Museum of Fine Art building he championed for years as president of the Roy F. and Joann Cole Mitte Foundation. Mayor John Cowen Jr. remembered him as a "force for good." His family has asked for donations to cerebral palsy research in lieu of flowers.
Mitte was born on August 21, 1992, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age 3, and moved to Los Angeles with his family in 2006. He played Walter "Flynn" White Jr. — a character who, like him, had cerebral palsy — across all five seasons of AMC's "Breaking Bad" (2008–2013), appearing in 56 episodes and sharing the cast's 2014 Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding ensemble in a drama series. He served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children's, as president of The Mitte Foundation and as a SAG spokesman for actors with disabilities, and received the SAG-AFTRA Harold Russell Award. His other credits include "Switched at Birth" (2014), "Triumph" (2021), which he also executive produced, "The Guardians of Justice" (2022) and "Westhampton," released this summer. According to Entertainment Weekly, he is survived by his fiancée, Kennedy Suarez.
(Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, CNN, People, TMZ, TV Guide)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: R.J.米特，2024年摄于波特兰玫瑰城漫展。Gage Skidmore／Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 3.0
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- 2026-10-14Follow-Up: Rep Confirms R.J. Mitte's Cause of Death as 'Breaking Bad' Casting Director Sharon Bialy Pens Tribute and Cast MournsThis story
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