He played the renowned laundromat manager in “Breaking Bad” and was an actor and comedian. He was 52. According to a statement from his family, Batayeh’s heart attack that occurred on June 1 while he was sleeping in his Michigan home.
His family released a statement saying, “My sisters and I announce the passing of our dear brother with great sadness and heavy hearts.” “Those who loved him and his great capacity to make so many people laugh and smile will greatly miss him.” AMC’s “Breaking Bad” featured Batayeh in three episodes as Dennis Markowski, manager of the Lavanderia Brillante laundromat, which served as Walter White and Jesse Pinkman’s meth lab.
Batayeh appeared on shows like “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “Sleeper Cell,” “The Bernie Mac Show,” “Boy Meets World,” and “Everybody Loves Raymond” throughout his acting career. He co-starred in films like “American Dreamz” by Paul Weitz, “Don’t Mess with the Zohan,” “Gas,” and “Detroit Unleaded” (2012), playing the lead character of Mike. At renowned comedy clubs like New York’s Gotham and Los Angeles’ Laugh Factory, Comedy Store, the Improv, and the Icehouse, Batayeh has performed and been the headlining act.
One of the first American comedians to perform for regional audiences in the Middle East was Batayeh. He performed in Dubai, where he also shot an episode of a Showtime Arabia special. He also performed in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Nazareth, and Egypt. The Jordanian royal family invited Batayeh to appear at the Amman International Comedy Festival the previous two years. In Detroit, Batayeh was born. The Vermeulen-Sajewski Funeral Home in Plymouth, Michigan, will have a celebration of life service on June 16 at 2 p.m.
