‘Breaking Bad’ star RJ Mitte’s onscreen dad mourns ‘sweet son’s death: ‘In deep despair’
Bryan Cranston, who played RJ Mitte’s dad in Breaking Bad, is in “deep despair” after the tragic loss of the beloved actor.
Cranston took to his Instagram account on Monday night and poured his heart out over the devastating loss of his onscreen son in a lengthy post.
“I’m in deep despair as I write this tonight,” Cranston penned. RJ Mitte, my sweet son on Breaking Bad, has died.”
Reflecting on days when they met on the series set, he recalled, “I met him when he was only 14 years old when he was cast as Walter White Jr., a part he played with such joy and enthusiasm. Born with Cerebral Palsy, he never – ever – allowed that challenge to be an excuse for anything. He met the demanding shooting schedule head on with great determination.”
Cranston went on to say, “Always listening to the advice that his TV parents (Anna Gunn and myself) gave him – but being a teenager, sometimes mischievously ignoring the counsel in order to learn the hard way… He was one of the stars of a hit TV show – but still a kid.”
“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,” the 76-year-old actor further shared. “All that promise and potential now is such a loss. It is especially devastating to hear that he took his own life. Why? We were texting each other just a few weeks ago – figuring out when we could meet for lunch. I don’t know if that lunch would have changed his future… But I do know that I loved him, and thoroughly enjoyed being with him throughout the years on the series, and after the spotlight on Breaking Bad dimmed…”
”I’ll miss you, son,” he remorsed.
Cranston concluded the lengthy post emphasizing, “I can’t stop there without imploring anyone who is contemplating suicide to please call for the support you need at 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (https://988lifeline.org/). There is hope.”
