photo by: Shawn Valverde

Actor RJ Mitte, left, and Michael Coffey pose for a photo during a break from shooting Coffey's film "One Eye Open" at 1613 Tennessee St.

Updated at 9:50 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — “Breaking Bad” actor and disability rights advocate RJ Mitte died Monday at age 34, authorities and his representatives said.

Cameron County Justice of the Peace Cyndi Hinojosa told The Associated Press she declared Mitte dead at about 1:30 p.m. at what she believed was his home in Brownsville, Texas. She said she was unable to provide a cause, but an autopsy will be performed.

Mitte played Walter White Jr., the son of Bryan Cranston’s chemistry teacher-turned-meth dealer Walter White on nearly every episode of the five seasons of the AMC show, which recently ranked as the best of the 21st century in a New York Times poll.

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.

“You develop a different mentality and you develop a different look at how the world sees you and how you see the world,” he said. “You’re able to use that. And I think it’s an asset instead of something that would hinder.”

Mitte was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi.

He landed small guest roles on sitcoms after moving to Los Angeles to act in 2006. Like his character, he was in his mid-teens when he began his work on “Breaking Bad,” starting in 2007. The show ran from 2008 to 2013.

“Drawing from his own experience living with cerebral palsy, Mitte brought authenticity to the role and built a platform on disability awareness and inclusion,” Mitte’s representatives said in a statement announcing his death. The statement said he used “his platform to challenge stereotypes and promote greater representation for people with disabilities.”

As an advocate, he served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s. He was also president of his own Mitte Foundation supporting philanthropic and community initiatives around disabilities.

His later credits included the ABC Family series “Switched at Birth” and the superhero satire series “Guardians of Justice.”

Mitte has also starred in multiple films from Lawrence filmmaker Michael Coffey, including “Triumph,” about a high school student with cerebral palsy who strives to become a wrestler and “One Eye Open,” which filmed in Lawrence and is scheduled to release in select AMC Theatres on Friday.

Coffey told the Journal-World that he was shocked and deeply saddened by the news of Mitte’s death.

“It was so nice to work with RJ again when I cast him in ‘One Eye Open,'” Coffey said via email. “We quickly re-bonded like brothers and got to work. RJ delivered a great performance. He will be greatly missed by all of the lives he touched.”