‘The Sheep Detectives’ Star Bryan Cranston Mourns ‘Breaking Bad’ Son RJ Mitte in a Heartfelt Tribute About a Lunch That Never Happened

Some on-screen family bonds feel so real that audiences forget they are scripted. In ‘Breaking Bad’, the quiet, breakfast-loving relationship between Walter White and his teenage son was one of the few warm threads running through a brutal story. For millions of viewers, RJ Mitte’s Walter Jr. was the heart of the White household.

Mitte played the role in all 5 seasons, from 2008 through 2013, and later built a career as a disability rights advocate. Born with cerebral palsy, he was diagnosed at age 3 and spent years challenging stereotypes about disabled performers. He died Monday, October 12, at age 34 in Brownsville, Texas, and his representatives confirmed he died by suicide.

Now the man who played his on-screen father has shared his grief. Bryan Cranston posted a long tribute on Instagram alongside a photo of the 2 together, opening with the words “I’m in deep despair as I write this tonight.” He called Mitte his sweet son on ‘Breaking Bad’, and the post reads like a letter from a father figure.

Cranston recalled meeting Mitte when he was only 14 years old, cast as Walter White Jr., a part he played with joy and enthusiasm. He wrote that the pilot was shot in February 2007 and that Mitte was pretty raw back then. Little by little, he said, they watched him grow into a really fine actor.

He praised how Mitte handled his cerebral palsy, writing that he never allowed it to be an excuse for anything and met the demanding shooting schedule with great determination. Cranston also remembered that Mitte, like any teenager, sometimes mischievously ignored the advice of his TV parents, played by himself and Anna Gunn, in order to learn the hard way. He stressed that for all his success on a hit show, Mitte was still a kid.

The most personal part of the tribute comes near the end. Cranston revealed that the 2 had been texting just a few weeks ago, trying to work out when they could meet for lunch. He said he doesn’t know whether that lunch would have changed Mitte’s future, but he does know that he loved him.

He also looked back on Mitte’s life after the show, noting that he used his experience to become a vocal advocate for performers with disabilities and headed a philanthropic organization focused on helping the disabled community. All that promise and potential, Cranston wrote, makes the loss especially devastating. He ended with a simple farewell, telling Mitte that he’d miss him.

Cranston closed his post by urging anyone contemplating suicide to call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, adding that there is hope. It is a note that appears at the end of many responsible tributes in cases like this, and it stands out in the context of a heartbroken farewell. Anyone in the US can call or text 988 to reach the lifeline.

Cranston is far from the only cast member grieving. Aaron Paul and Dean Norris are among others who have paid tribute, and fans have been revisiting Mitte’s scenes and his advocacy work online. Mitte had also won a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2014 as part of the show’s ensemble, alongside Cranston, Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt and Bob Odenkirk.

Mitte had recently been active, spending time with former costar Luis Moncada and appearing on a podcast to revisit the show. He was engaged to Kennedy Suarez, and at the time of his death was promoting a new movie, ‘Talking to Strangers’. That makes the shock of his death all the greater for those who followed his career.

For many fans, the line between Walt Jr. and the actor who played him was always a little blurry, because Mitte brought so much of himself to the role. Cranston’s tribute offers a reminder of the real relationship behind the fiction, and of how much a mentor and a young actor can mean to each other.

Share your favorite memory of RJ Mitte as Walt Jr., and what his advocacy meant to you, in the comments.