Mike Batayeh dead: Breaking Bad actor dies aged 52

Batayeh did not have a history of heart issues, according to the family, describing his death as very sudden.

"He will be greatly missed by those who loved him" and others who enjoyed his career, his family said in a statement.

Batayeh appeared in three episodes of the AMC hit drama series Breaking Bad in 2011 - the series ran between 2008 and 2013.

In the show, Batayeh was known as Dennis Markowski, the manager of Lavandería Brillante industrial laundromat - a notorious coverup for a massive meth lab operation.

Batayeh was also a comedian and voice actor.

Throughout his career he made appearances in multiple movies including American Dreamz and Detroit Unleaded, and on TV shows including The Bernie Mac Show and CSI: Miami.

He also had a voice acting role in X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Batayeh is survived by five siblings and a large extended family, according to an online obituary.

Colleagues and co-stars paid tribute to him.

"A devastating loss of a huge life - Mike Batayeh, you were everybody's friend," Hollywood director and friend Rola Nashef wrote on Facebook.

"And I mean everybody. There isn't a person that I introduced you to or a waitress that took our order whom you didn't make laugh, think, inspire and root for."

"You were the superstar we always admired and one of the funniest men I've ever known," wrote Yorg Kerasiotis, Batayeh's co-star on Detroit Unleaded, "please rest in peace".Throughout his acting career, Batayeh made appearances on shows like “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “Sleeper Cell,” “The Bernie Mac Show,” “Boy Meets World” and “Everybody Loves Raymond.” He co-starred in films such as Paul Weitz’s “American Dreamz,” “Don’t Mess with the Zohan,” “Gas” and starred as the lead role of Mike in the 2012 film “Detroit Unleaded.”

In his career as a comedian, Batayeh performed and headlined at notable comedy clubs such as New York’s Gotham and Los Angeles’ Laugh Factory, Comedy Store, the Improv and the Icehouse.

Batayeh became one of the first American comedians to perform for local audiences in the Middle East. He did shows in Dubai, where he filmed a special for Showtime Arabia, as well as Egypt, Lebanon, Nazareth and Jordan. Batayeh was invited two years in a row by the royal family of Jordan to perform at the Amman International Comedy Festival.

Batayeh was born in Detroit. A celebration of life service will be heldon June 16 at the Vermeulen-Sajewski Funeral Home in Plymouth, Mich. at 2 p.m.

The news was first reported by TMZ, citing Batayeh’s sister, who told the outlet her brother suffered a cardiac arrest at his home in Michigan on June 1.

“He will be greatly missed by those who loved him and his great ability to bring laughter and joy to so many,” Batayeh’s family said in a statement.

His TV credits over the years include appearances in “CSI: Miami,” “The Bernie Mac Show,” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” He appeared in multiple episodes of “Breaking Bad” in 2011 and 2012.

A memorial service is planned for Batayeh in Plymouth, Michigan next week, according to his manager.As a comedian, Batayeh performed in the U.S. as well as the Middle East, and he was in a comedy special for Showtime Arabia, according to his sisters' statement. He also performed at a comedy festival in Jordan's capital of Amman at the invitation of the Jordanian royal family, according to the statement.

He was preceded in death by his sister Jeannie, and his parents.