‘GREATLY MISSED’
ACTOR and comedian Mike Batayeh, who was best known for his work in the iconic drama series Breaking Bad, has died at the age of 52.
His family confirmed his death in a statement on Friday.
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Mike's family told TMZ that the star died on June 1 in his sleep of a "heart attack" while at his home in Michigan.
According to his sister Diane, Mike's death was sudden, and there was no history of heart issues.
"He will be greatly missed by those who loved him and his great ability to bring laughter and joy to so many," the family shared in a touching statement.
Mike appeared on three episodes of Breaking Bad from 2011 to 2012.
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He played Dennis Markowski, the manager of Lavanderia Brillante industrial laundromat- a business that was owned by the calm, cool and calculating Gustavo Fring (Giancarlo Esposito).
The business was also a disguise for the meth lab where main characters Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) did all their dealings.
While he is best known for his short stint on Breaking Bad, Mike had a long, notable career which saw him land parts on everything from CSI: Miami to The Bernie Mac Show.
Plenty of heartbroken fans took to his final Instagram post to express their sadness.
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"You will be missed my friend," one person wrote as another said: "I just heard. Save me a spot at the table in the pool hall, my friend."
One follower reacted: "Rest in peace, brother. I miss you dearly."
In his final post, Mike had a crowd laughing as he was in the middle of his stand-up set.
Back in March, Mike shared his advice for inspiring actors and actresses, as he told MacoFilm: "There are really no words of wisdom anyone can impart on anyone else… everyone has their own path."
He continued: "Not to sound all Buddha, but the only thing I can impart is do what feels right for you and when you get opportunities never take them lightly and think to yourself, 'Man, I'll try harder on the next opportunity down the road.'"
"Lots of people and including myself in the past thought this was consciously or unconsciously… So be aware and treat every opportunity like it's THE opportunity," he concluded.
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