Breaking Bad actor RJ Mitte dies aged 34

RJ Mitte was best known for playing Walter White's defiant son on the Emmy-winning drama Breaking Bad.

US actor RJ Mitte, best known for his role as the defiant son of drug kingpin Walter White in the drama series Breaking Bad, has died aged 34.

He died in Brownsville, Texas. No immediate cause of death was provided.

"Mitte brought authenticity to the role and built a platform on disability awareness and inclusion," his representative Sean Reilly said in a statement to the BBC.

He created The Mitte Foundation as well, to support philanthropic efforts and community initiatives, using his platform "to challenge stereotypes and promote greater representation for people with disabilities", Reilly said.

The anti-hero drama created by Vince Gilligan earned a whopping 58 Primetime Emmy nominations and won 16, including two for Outstanding Drama Series in 2013 and 2014. It is widely credited as being one of the best US TV series of the 21st century.

The cast of Breaking Bad accepts the top prize for drama at the SAG Awards in Los Angeles in 2014.

Mitte, who grew up in Louisiana, was a young teen when he auditioned for the breakthrough role after moving to Los Angeles to support his younger sister's acting career in 2005.

"Fast forward to auditioning for Breaking Bad, which is still, in my opinion, an anti-meth thing because it doesn't end well for anyone," he said on the Joe Vulpis Podcast earlier this month.

He played the role with honesty and accessibility, cracking jokes as a teen whose health condition was never mentioned in the series.

"Whenever awards season rolls around, we always hope to see a diverse group of projects that reflect all of us, in body and mind," he told the BBC in 2021.

Mitte's other on-screen credits include Hannah Montana, Switched at Birth, Westhampton and his latest project, Talking to Strangers, which came out earlier this year.