RJ Mitte was honored by his former Breaking Bad costars on Saturday, November 7, at a celebration of life held one month after his passing. According to Us Weekly, the service took place at Hope Lutheran Church in Los Angeles.
He was 34.
RJ Mitte’s Celebration of Life Held on November 7
Us Weekly described the gathering as solemn. Friends filled the church alongside the actors who spent years beside him on one of television’s most watched dramas.
News broke in October that RJ Mitte had passed away by suicide. He was 34. His rep released a statement at the time calling him a beloved actor, philanthropist and passionate disability rights advocate. The rep also asked the public to respect the privacy of his family and close ones.
Co-Stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul Attend the Event
Photos from the service showed Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul and Bob Odenkirk there to honor him. Jonathan Banks and Raymond Cruz also attended, Us Weekly reported.
Five members of that cast in one church. Breaking Bad ended years ago, and its actors have long since scattered into other shows, other cities, other lives. They came back for him anyway.
Work friendships rarely get named as real relationships. Nobody calls a costar family on a form. But a set is different. People spend long days there for years, and a teenager grows up in front of the adults around him. The result sits closer to kinship than most offices ever get. Showing up in person, a month later, after the first wave of public tributes has passed, is how those bonds prove themselves.
Mitte Remembered for His Advocacy and Role in Breaking Bad
RJ Mitte was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age 3. On Breaking Bad he played Walter White Jr., Cranston’s onscreen son, a character who also had CP.
His rep said he drew on his own experience to bring authenticity to the role, and that he built a platform around disability awareness and inclusion. He served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s, and as president of The Mitte Foundation, which supported philanthropic and community work. The statement said he used his visibility to challenge stereotypes and push for greater representation of people with disabilities.
A teenager cast in a hit show could have simply played the part. He turned it into a cause he carried for the rest of his life.
Cranston Remembers His “Sweet Son on Breaking Bad”
Cranston posted on Instagram in October, after news of the death broke. He called Mitte “my sweet son on Breaking Bad” and wrote that he was in deep despair.
Cranston recalled meeting him at 14, when he was cast as Walter White Jr., and said he played the part with joy and enthusiasm. He wrote that Mitte never allowed cerebral palsy to become an excuse, and met the show’s demanding shooting schedule with determination.
He also remembered the ordinary stuff. Mitte listened to the advice of his TV parents, Cranston and Anna Gunn, and sometimes, being a teenager, ignored it to learn the hard way. Cranston described him as one of the stars of a hit show, but still a kid, and said he watched him grow from a raw beginner on the 2007 pilot into a really fine actor.
That is how a father writes. Cranston played the role on screen, and his tribute reads like he never fully stopped.
If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the U.S.
Sources: Us Weekly
