Breaking Bad Star Bob Odenkirk Pays Tribute to RJ Mitte After His Death at 34: ‘This Is Simply, Deeply, Sad’

RJ Mitte died on Monday, Oct. 12 at age 34

Bob Odenkirk is paying tribute to his Breaking Bad costar RJ Mitte following the actor’s death on Monday, Oct. 12.

In a Tuesday, Oct. 13 statement to PEOPLE, Odenkirk, 63, remembered the actor — who played Walter “Flynn” White Jr. in all five seasons of the AMC series — as a “good person who shared his personal story and his time to help out others.”

“Whenever I saw him, he was meeting the world with positivity and a strong desire to connect,” the actor, who starred as Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad, says. “This is simply, deeply sad.”

Mitte died from suicide on Monday, Oct. 12, at age 34, a rep confirmed to PEOPLE.

In a statement to PEOPLE, a representative for Mitte remembered the “authenticity” the actor brought to his Breaking Bad role as someone with cerebral palsy.

Mitte “built a platform on disability awareness and inclusion,” the representative continued. “Beyond entertaining friends and family around the world, he served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s.”

In addition to Breaking Bad, Mitte also appeared in projects like Switched at Birth and The Guardians of Justice. He was also a disability rights activist and served as president of The Mitte Foundation. He supported “philanthropic efforts and community initiatives, while using his platform to challenge stereotypes and promote greater representation for people with disabilities.” 

Odenkirk’s tribute followed emotional messages from fellow Breaking Bad stars Bryan Cranston and Dean Norris.

Under a throwback photo of Cranston, 70, and Mitte, the Malcolm in the Middle star referred to the late actor as “my sweet son on Breaking Bad.”

“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.”

“All that promise and potential now is such a loss,” Cranston said. “It is especially devastating to hear that he took his own life. Why?”

The actor said he and Mitte texted a few weeks ago and tried to plan lunch. “I don’t know if that lunch would have changed his future…,” Cranston wrote. “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 concluded.

Norris, 63, who played Hank Schrader on the Emmy-winning series, called Mitte’s death “heartbreaking” in a statement. “Though RJ didn’t play my TV son, I always looked out for him as a young kid on set. He was a sweetheart of a young man and will be greatly missed,” he said. “I can’t believe it. Thinking of him and his family.”

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Via: People