“RJ was my older brother, but I didn’t only lose a brother—I lost my father,” Carriere said.
“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,” Carriere added.
Mitte lived with cerebral palsy throughout his life after being diagnosed at around three years old. He later became known for playing Bryan Cranston’s onscreen son, Walter Jr., in the hit drama Breaking Bad.
His mother, Dyna, spoke about the tragedy to The Hollywood Reporter, saying there had been concerns about her son’s mental health and that she had encouraged him to seek professional support.
“It was more about the conversations we were having—not just with me, but with his team and friends,” she said.
“There were concerns. That’s why I encouraged him to talk to a counsellor. I told him to talk to a therapist and share his feelings and how he saw things.”
Bryan Cranston, Mitte’s Breaking Bad co-star, also said in an Instagram post that he was in “deep despair” following the death of his television son.
At Mitte’s October 16 memorial service, Carriere wept as she remembered how he became a father figure after their mother was paralyzed in an accident when Carriere was an infant
Mitte’s mother, Dyna, told The Hollywood Reporter that “there were concerns” about his mental health and that she urged him to seek professional help. Above, Mitte attends a screening in Beverly Hills, California, on September 30
Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston said he was in “deep despair” after the death of his onscreen son. Above, Cranston, Anna Gunn and Mitte appear in a 2008 still from the series
“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,” Cranston wrote.
“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 said he and Mitte had remained in contact and had spoken only a few weeks earlier. “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.”