RJ Mitte’s younger sister, Lacianne Carriere, gave an emotional eulogy honoring her brother during his funeral service.
“RJ Mitte was my older brother but I not only just lost a brother, I lost my father. 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,” Carriere said about the former Breaking Bad actor during his funeral on Friday, October 16, per the Daily Mail. “And my brother immediately took on the father role.”
Carriere reflected on her and Mitte’s strong bond over the years while fighting back tears.
“I don’t have many words that I can put together but all I can say is that every part of me is RJ,” she continued. “Every type of music I listen to, everything I watch, every game I play, our mannerisms, and I just really miss my brother.”
Carriere thanked everyone for attending the service held at the family’s organization, the Mitte Cultural District, in Brownsville, Texas. While Carriere acknowledged that Mitte did not grow up in Brownsville, he did consider it “his home.”
“This was his community,” she said. “He loved it here and he loved all of you and he loved this city.”
Carriere also broached the subject of mental health in her speech. (Mitte died by suicide, his rep Sean Reilly confirmed in a statement on Tuesday, October 13.)
“I want to say if anyone is struggling, please don’t feel like you’re alone. You’re never alone. And just try. Try to accept the help, try,” she said. “Try your hardest. And just reach out to someone. RJ loved this city very much and I love RJ very much. His legacy here is not going to be ending. We’ll continue on with all of his dreams that he had for this place just as he would want.”
Carriere ended her speech with a special message for her late brother.
“And I want to say to RJ, I’m not going to sell that nasty truck,” she said with a laugh. “It’s mine now!”
Us confirmed on Monday, October 12, that Mitte died at age 34.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate RJ Mitte,” Mitte’s spokesperson said in a statement at the time. “Drawing from his own experience living with cerebral palsy, Mitte brought authenticity to the [Breaking Bad] role and built a platform on disability awareness and inclusion.”
The Brownsville Police Department told People that authorities responded to an emergency call at around 12:50 p.m. local time and found Mitte dead after arriving at his residence.
“The cause and manner of death are still pending, as there is currently an ongoing investigation,” a police spokesperson told the outlet.
