RJ Mitte’s mother shares why she is speaking out now after his death

Dyna Mitte, the mother of Breaking Bad actor RJ Mitte, has spoken out about her son’s death in the hope of helping others who may be struggling.

RJ was found dead at his home in Brownsville, Texas, on Monday. He was 34. Dyna told NBC News that his death was a suicide. 

She said she found him after he didn’t answer her calls. She chose to speak publicly because “a mother should never have to find their child this way.”

Dyna said she had spent three months encouraging RJ to try therapy, but he told her he was handling it. She now wishes she had pushed harder. “If I had known anything and could have done anything different, I truly would have,” she said. “I would have given my life for his life.”

She added that everyone deals with heartbreak differently. If her words help even one person, she said, “I think that’s what RJ would expect.”

RJ played Flynn White, the teenage son of Walter and Skyler White, in Breaking Bad. His representatives called him a “beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights activist” and asked people to respect the privacy of his family and close friends.

RJ was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a child. It shaped both his acting and his advocacy, and he spent much of his adult life campaigning for more opportunities for people with disabilities.