RJ Mitte’s mother, Dyna, has remembered her son’s “deep empathy” and “neverending curiosity” in a heartbreaking Instagram tribute, following his death by suicide at age 34 earlier this month. She also revealed that his failure to answer a phone call became the “red flag” that made her realize something was wrong.
Mitte, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was three, became widely known for playing Walter White’s son on Breaking Bad. He was adopted as a newborn by Dyna and her then-husband, Roy Frank Mitte Jr.
At just 13, he became the family’s main financial provider after a car accident severely injured Dyna’s spine and left her paralyzed below the waist for several years.
“What can I say about my precious child?” Dyna wrote Tuesday. “From the day we got RJ at three days old, he has been inspiring and sharing his heart with everyone he met.”
She said that whether he was learning to live with cerebral palsy and eventually thrive, or building a career in acting, “it required hard work.” Still, she added, he succeeded and remained eager to take on every new challenge.
Dyna recalled the joy of seeing how naturally her son connected with people, saying he could “instantly charm his way into people’s lives like they were family.”
RJ Mitte’s mother Dyna honored him for his “deep empathy” and “neverending curiosity” in a heartrending tribute posted two weeks after his death by suicide at age 34; RJ and Dyna pictured in 2014
She described life with RJ as “a constant adventure,” explaining that even work trips became memorable experiences. “From Florida to Lithuania, he knew all the historical facts and places we should see,” she wrote. “We would always go just to satisfy his neverending curiosity.”
Dyna also expressed pride in “everything he overcame to become the man the world was just beginning to know.” She praised his “deep empathy for those who needed him to be their voice,” saying advocacy was “never a burden, but a role he loved to play.”
“We are lost without him, yet we know he wouldn’t want us to be,” Mitte’s mother continued. “He would want his message heard and the work we were doing with The Mitte Foundation in Brownsville to continue.”
Founded by the actor’s paternal grandparents, The Mitte Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving “the quality of life of Central Texans.”
Dyna assured supporters that she had seen their messages and would respond when she was able. “My son was an incredibly special and sensitive soul who did so much for his family, his community, and the world, and we will mourn him for the rest of our days,” she wrote.
Her tribute followed comments in which Dyna said RJ’s death had been “unexpected,” noting that he appeared to be doing well professionally and had been speaking with a therapist.
“Parents should listen to their children and watch for signs,” she said. “I thought RJ was in a place where we had gotten over the hump and that he was okay.”
She told The Hollywood Reporter that she only recognized the seriousness of the situation when he stopped answering his phone. “It wasn’t until he didn’t answer the phone that I recognized it as a red flag, because we talked regularly,” Dyna said.
Mitte, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy aged three and rose to fame on Breaking Bad, was adopted as a newborn by Dyna and her then-husband, Roy Frank Mitte Jr.
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Dyna said she had begun to worry about her son because of “the conversations we were having,” including discussions involving his team and friends.
She encouraged him to seek professional support. “It’s always good to have an outside counselor, a third party with no ‘skin in the game,’ as we say in the South,” she explained. “I told him to talk to a therapist and share his feelings and how he saw things.”
Dyna also pushed back against speculation that Mitte had been struggling with his career or finances. “I know there’s been some speculation that his career had taken a dive or this and that. And honestly, I want to straighten that out right now,” she told the publication.
“They used to say: ‘You may do a thousand auditions before you land one job.’ Well, obviously it doesn’t work that way today.”
‘Of course, COVID made things kind of slow but things picked back up. But honestly, RJ had three movies that have already come out this year. He has two more coming out. He has already signed deals on several new movies that he was going to be filming.
‘There were talks of different things. He had a book coming out. He had a food truck he was starting. He had a lot going on.’
She added: ‘There had also been speculation about a financial situation involving a manager. That happened years ago, had already been resolved, and was not related to what happened now.’
Elsewhere in the interview, Dyna discussed speculation he had a feud with his fiancée.
Mitte shot to fame on the hit series Breaking Bad, on which he is pictured in 2008 with his onscreen parents, Bryan Cranston and Anna Gunn
She said RJ had only seen his fiancée three or four times since she moved in December and said while there were struggles, she didn’t want to delve into his personal life.
Dyna went on to reveal she’s convinced her son suffered a mental health setback and believes he made the decision to take his life during a ‘weak moment’.
She acknowledged RJ had been having personal troubles and had opened up to his family, but they never expected he would take his life.
She said: ‘A mother should never have to find her child that way. It’s a hard pill to swallow.’
RJ was remembered at a Celebration of Life ceremony at the Mitte Center in Brownsville, Texas, on Friday.
After his death, he was remembered by his former Breaking Bad co-star Bryan Cranston, who declared he was ‘ in deep despair’ following the tragedy while Aaron Paul said in a statement: ‘I am at a loss.
‘I am heartbroken over this news. RJ, I love you my friend. You will be missed.’
