Dyna Mitte, mother of late Breaking Bad actor RJ Mitte, has spoken publicly for the first time about his suicide earlier this week, saying, “a mother should never find her child this way.” She discovered her son’s body at his home in Texas on Monday after becoming concerned when he failed to answer her phone call that morning.
Discovery and final days
Dyna had visited her son’s home to bring him lunch when she made the devastating discovery. She had tried calling him earlier that morning, but he did not pick up. She also revealed that she had been encouraging RJ to seek professional help, saying she had been trying to persuade him to go to therapy for around three months before his death.
Speaking to NBC News, Dyna said RJ had not left a note. She also believes his death may have followed a “spur of the moment” decision. Her comments have shed light on the personal pressures RJ had reportedly been experiencing, including tensions involving his close family and his fiancée, Kennedy Suarez.
Career and legacy
RJ, who had cerebral palsy, rose to international fame on Breaking Bad, the acclaimed series starring Bryan Cranston as chemistry teacher-turned-drug kingpin Walter White. Mitte played Walter’s son across the show’s five seasons, appearing in 56 episodes between 2008 and the final episode in 2013. The role made him a familiar face to audiences around the world and helped establish his career as an actor.
Just days before his death, RJ made his final public appearance at the premiere of his new movie, Talking to Strangers, in California on September 30.
Memorial and sister's tribute
Yesterday, his loved ones gathered at a memorial service in Brownsville, Texas at Mitte Cultural District, the family's organisation. His younger sister, Lacianne Carriere, 22, spoke to remember her brother, breaking down as she said she "really misses" her brother.
She said: "RJ Mitte was my older brother but I not only just lost a brother, I lost my father. My mom was a single mother and when I was two weeks old, she was in an accident that paralyzed her from the waist down for the first few years of my life. And my brother immediately took on the father role. I don't have many words that I can put together but all I can say is that every part of me is RJ. Every type of music I listen to, everything I watch, every game I play, our mannerisms, and I just really miss my brother."
She added: "He loved Brownsville so much. He might not have been born or raised here, but this was his home. This was his community. He loved it here and he loved all of you and he loved this city. And I want to thank you all for coming out. I want to say if anyone is struggling, please don't feel like you're alone. You're never alone. And just try. Try to accept the help, try. Try your hardest. And just reach out to someone."
She concluded: "RJ loved this city very much and I love RJ very much. His legacy here is not going to be ending. We'll continue on with all of his dreams that he had for this place just as he would want. And I want to say to RJ: I'm not going to sell that nasty truck."
Financial struggles
Despite his fame, RJ previously disclosed that, contrary to speculation, he was far from a multi-millionaire. The TV star claimed some of his financial misfortune was due to having a "bad" financial manager, whom he alleges was targeting people with disabilities and the elderly.
Asked to clarify whether the show made him a millionaire, RJ told The Iced Coffee Hour podcast: "I've paid more in taxes than I got from Breaking Bad. It's just the name of the game with it. Like, you know, young kid." He continued: "I didn't really see a lot of like... I had a team, a big team at one point, and I was travelling the world and, like, so mostly my team. I was paying to keep my career going. I was paying to keep pushing forward and to keep doing that, and everything went back into the business."
