Brownsville, TX (KRGV) — People across the Rio Grande Valley are remembering Roy Frank “RJ” Mitte, the 34-year-old actor who died Monday in his residence in Brownsville.

Mitte broke out for his role on the series Breaking Bad, but he’s being remembered for the time he gave to the community.

"[We're] seeing the impact the arts have had on my life that opened the doors for me," Mitte said during a July 2025 interview with Channel 5 News.

CineSol Film Festival Director Henry Serrato said he first invited Mitte to be a guest at the festival on South Padre Island in 2019. Mitte returned three years later.

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"I was in awe because this is Walter White Jr., this is Breaking Bad. But once you meet him in person and he was just nice and friendly and joking around," Serrato said. "We hit it off just like no time had passed, and ever since then we became friends."

In 2023, the Disability Chamber of Commerce of the Rio Grande Valley invited Mitte to speak at a conference for families. After his speech, he stayed and kept speaking with families, caregivers, and teachers.

"He gave so much of his time to our families, the caregivers, and the teachers. He actually asked me not to stop bringing people to him... He said, 'I want to keep talking to our community,'" Evelyn Cano, executive director and co-founder of the chamber, said.

Mitte had cerebral palsy and spent years advocating for people with disabilities. Cano said Mitte shared a lesson from his mother that day.

"And one thing he told me was, 'My mom always told me that it didn't matter that I had a disability; I could still be anything I wanted to be,'" Cano said.

Through his Mitte in Motion workshops, Mitte brought actors, agents, and writers to Brownsville to share their knowledge with the younger generation.

He also helped champion the Mitte Cultural District, which recently received state recognition.

Brenda Patricia Garza, owner of RGV Talent Consulting, said Mitte's passion for growing the Valley's film industry was clear.

"Him being honestly the nicest person when I first met him — he was just so abundantly cheerful. He was very respectful. He honestly had so much creativity and ambition for the film industry here in the valley," Garza said.

Garza said she remembers the conversations they had about bringing more opportunities to South Texas.

"The fact that he was creating something and to just have him not be here anymore... I can't even imagine what his family is going through," Garza said.

Mitte's family asked that memorial contributions go to the Mitte Foundation and cerebral palsy research.

A celebration of life ceremony for Mitte starts at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, at The Mitte, located at 660 Ringgold St. in Brownsville, Texas.

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