'Breaking Bad' actor RJ Mitte identified as Christian before taking his own life
Evangelist says Mitte told him 'I’m a Christian' earlier this year
Months before his death, “Breaking Bad” actor RJ Mitte publicly identified himself as a Christian and was surrounded by family members who loved Jesus.
Mitte, who played Walter White Jr. on the famed AMC series and advocated for disability rights, died Monday in Brownsville, Texas, at age 34. A spokesperson for the late actor confirmed Monday that Mitte died by suicide.
Dylan Novak, a self-described “celebrity evangelist” who shares stories about his Gospel encounters with actors at conventions and other public venues, shared an encounter with Mitte at a comic convention in May, where Novak said he gave the actor a Bible.
“When I gave RJ his Bible, he told me, ‘My grandmother is going to love this,’” Novak shared in a Facebook post Monday. “I asked him if his grandmother was a Christian, and he said, ‘Oh yeah. Like she’s obsessed with Jesus and praying for me and everything.'"
Novak told The Christian Post on Tuesday that Mitte — whom he remembered as “one of the kindest people I've come across at these shows” — cared about his fans and “people in general.” Novak says Mitte also spoke about his “Christian upbringing,” particularly the Godly influence of his mother and grandmother.
“He shared with me that he had a Christian upbringing, but once he had gotten more involved with work, it had been harder to stay in church, even though he knew he needed to stay plugged in with God,” he said.
“While he declined to share specific details about the exchange due to privacy reasons, Novak said Mitte “had many people who love Jesus around him, and encouraging him to have that personal relationship with Christ.”
Novak says when he asked Mitte where he stood spiritually, he replied, “I’d say I’m a Christian.”
That exchange, said Novak, led into a conversation on “how so many people put their faith and trust in the church, rather than Christ, which not only leads to ‘church-hurt’ and turning away from God, but it tricks people into thinking they're saved because of their spiritual checklist, not by putting their faith and trust in Christ alone.”
Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Mitte moved to Los Angeles in 2006, landed the role of Walter White Jr. in 2007 and appeared in nearly every episode of “Breaking Bad” from 2008 to 2013. The show would go on to earn multiple Emmy awards and become one of the highest-rated series in television history.
Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age 3, Mitte told the AP in 2014 that his disability and the surrounding struggles with physical therapy, family problems and exorbitant medical bills — all key subjects on the show — made him better at his job.
He later appeared in “Switched at Birth” and “Guardians of Justice,” produced independent films, and served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s. He also served as president of the Mitte Foundation.
