‘Breaking Bad’ actor Mike Batayeh’s death ruled suicide
A shock came to the world of Breaking Bad when it was announced that character actor Mike Batayeh had passed away at 52. After a week since the news broke, the cause of death is finally being revealed to the public.
Batayeh was best known for playing the owner of the laundromat that Walter White and Jesse Pinkman use to cook meth in the second half of the AMC drama. Batayeh had also previously worked on shows such as It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Parks and Recreation.
While working as an in-between for White and Gus Fring, Batayeh’s Dennis Markowski faces a dark end towards the end of the final season. When White needs to make sure none of Fring’s associates speaks to the police, he has all of them killed, with Markowski dying at the hands of fellow inmates.
In a statement given by The New York Post, Batayeh’s death has been ruled a suicide after passing away earlier this month. Though his death was originally considered a heart attack by his sister, there have been no details made available about his suicide.
When talking about the loss of Batayeh, the family provided a brief statement regarding his passing, posting on social media that “He will be greatly missed by those who loved him and his great ability to bring laughter and joy to so many”.
Though Batayeh continued working in the world of television through most of his career, he never made a return to the world of Breaking Bad in the spin-off drama Better Call Saul. After staying in comedy, Batayeh had also started to take on dramatic roles before his death such as the 2016 drama Dirty.
Batayeh was also known for his outreach to kids in his community, with the obituary going on to say, “he was always passionate about helping youth in the community where he lived and grew up facing similar challenges”. Batayeh is survived by his five sisters.
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