RJ Mitte's mother dispels rumours about his career following his death

RJ Mitte's mother Dyna Mitte has set the record straight about his career following his shock death.

Dyna insisted to The Hollywood Reporter that the Breaking Bad star's career was thriving before he died by suicide on 12 October, aged 34.

"Well, first of all, I know there's been some speculation that his career had taken a dive or this and that. And honestly, I want to straighten that out right now," she stated. "Of course, COVID made things kind of slow but things picked back up. But honestly, R.J. had three movies that have already come out this year. He has two more coming out. He has already signed deals on several new movies that he was going to be filming."

She added, "There were talks of different things. He had a book coming out. He had a food truck he was starting. He had a lot going on."

Dyna also addressed rumours that RJ had been in a difficult financial situation with a manager, noting that the issue was resolved years ago and had nothing to do with "what happened now".

Elsewhere in the interview, Dyna shared that the actor - who suffered from cerebral palsy - had been open about his "personal struggles" with his family, friends and team, and she had encouraged him to talk to a therapist.

"When something is tormenting you - whether it's for an hour, a day, a week or a month - I think people can have weak moments. I believe that's what happened in this case. That doesn't mean he hadn't been having personal struggles," she said. "I don't know what else to say other than that it wasn't something we expected. A mother should never have to find her child that way. It's a hard pill to swallow."

She continued, "Parents should listen to their children and watch for signs. I thought R.J. was in a place where we had gotten over the hump and that he was OK. It wasn't until he didn't answer the phone that I recognised it as a red flag, because we talked regularly."

Dyna discovered RJ's body at his home in Brownsville, Texas.

A Celebration of Life ceremony took place at the city's Mitte Center on Friday, and another is being organised for Los Angeles later this month.