RJ Mitte's mum shares harrowing moment she discovered his body
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
Actor RJ Mitte's mum has revealed details surrounding the heartbreaking moment she found her son dead.
The actor, who died by suicide, found fame as a teenager on the TV show Breaking Bad as the son of drug kingpin Walter White.
Mitte’s death aged 34 was announced by his representatives on Monday (12 October) with an outpouring of tributes since issued by his loved ones and co-stars.
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Now his mother Dyna Mitte has shared new insight into the day of his tragic death, including that she was the one to find his body.
“I called him at 11. He didn’t answer,” Dyna told NBC News.
“I picked up lunch and went to take it to him, and that’s when I discovered him.”
Mitte, real name Roy Frank Mitte III, was an actor and producer who started his career in entertainment playing minor roles in sitcoms such as Everybody Hates Chris and Hannah Montana.
He made a name for himself in 2008 after landing a lead role in hit crime series Breaking Bad, starring as the son of mild-mannered high school chemistry teacher Walter White.
It was previously revealed how he struggled with financial troubles, claiming he was paid 'more in taxes' than he made from Breaking Bad, despite a multi-million dollar salary due to a rogue manager stealing his money.
In a Instagram story posted just hours before he died, he had shared promotional material for an upcoming independent movie that he was starring in called One Eye Open, which was due to premiere in US cinemas on Friday (16 October).
His mother Dyna revealed her son hadn't left a note, and said she believed his decision to take his own life was in the 'spur of the moment'.
She told of how she had been encouraging him to seek professional help.
“For the last three months I’d been offering for him to go to therapy, trying to get him to go there, but he was like, ‘No, I’ve got it. It’s OK. I’m handling it.’ she said.
“If me speaking out today might save someone else from going through the same situation, because a mother should never have to find their child this way.
“If I can say one person is helped, I think that’s what RJ would expect.
“We all go through heartbreak in our life and we all deal with it differently.
"If I had known anything and could have done anything different, I truly would have. I would have given my life for his life.”
During his varied career, Mitte walked the catwalk for a Vivienne Westwood fashion show, and also presented part of Channel 4’s coverage of the 2016 Rio Summer Paralympics.
He has also appeared in several music videos, working with the likes of English band Nothing But Thieves and US rockers Hollywood Undead.
At the age of three, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, which the NHS describes as the name for a group of lifelong conditions that affect movement and co-ordination caused by a problem with the brain that develops around birth.
Mitte was outspoken about his disability and passionate about using his platform as an actor to educate and inform viewers.
He was also an ambassador for several disability and health organisations, including United Cerebral Palsy, Shriners Children’s and Can Do Canines and he was the president of the Mitte Foundation, which provides grants and scholarships to those in need.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123 or contact Harmless by visiting their website https://harmless.org.uk.
Topics: Entertainment, Celebrity, TV and Film
James Holt