RJ Mitte's mother has shared devastating details of his death in the hopes of changing the life of just one person who may be struggling.
Dyna Mitte spoke to NBC News days after her son's death "because a mother should never have to find their child this way," she said, revealing that she was the one who found her son dead after he didn't answer her phone calls.
The Breaking Bad star was found dead in his Brownsville, Texas, home on Monday, October 12, 2026. He was 34.
© Getty Images"So I called him at 11," Dyna said. "He didn’t answer, so I picked up lunch and went to take it to him, and that’s when I discovered him." Dyna added that she believed the death, which was a suicide, was "spur of the moment" because there was no note left.
RJ had reportedly told close friends he had been left "very hurt" because of recent circumstances, and Dyna had been encouraging him to go to therapy.
"For the last three months, I’d been offering for him to go to therapy, trying to get him to go there, but he was like, 'No, I’ve got it. It’s OK. I’m handling it,'" she shared, admitting that she now regrets not taking him "screaming and yelling."
© Getty Images"If me speaking out today might save someone else from going through the same situation, because a mother should never have to find their child this way," she added of her decision to bravely speak out. "If I can say one person is helped, I think that’s what RJ would expect."
"We all go through some heartbreak in our life and, and we all deal with it differently,” Dyna added. "If I had known anything and could have done anything different, I truly would have. I would have given my life for his life."
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.
© Getty ImagesRJ was best known as Flynn White, the teenage son of Bryan Cranston's Walter White and Anna Gunn's Skyler in the award-winning series Breaking Bad.
A statement shared by his representatives with HELLO! described RJ as a "beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights activist".
"It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights activist RJ Mitte," his representatives stated. "At this time, we ask people to respect the privacy of RJ Mitte’s family and close ones."
© Variety via Getty ImagesRJ was diagnosed as a child with cerebral palsy, a lifelong condition affecting movement and co-ordination. His experience informed both his acting and his public advocacy, spending much of his adult years campaigning for greater opportunities for people with disabilities.
Bryan posted a heartfelt tribute in the hours after the news broke, sharing that RJ never allowed his disability "to be an excuse for anything."
"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. 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," he continued.
