“Breaking Bad” actor Mike Batayeh tweeted about suicide several times before he reportedly took his own life June 1.
The 52-year-old died by “asphyxia hanging” at his Michigan home, the Washtenaw County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed to The Post on Monday.
“Let’s face it … Jesus was suicidal and as a Roman Catholic I was taught suicide is a SIN … Double standard because he was the boss’s son,” Batayeh wrote in a tweet posted on April 9, 2015.
Just over a year later, the star penned a second eerie post about suicide.
“You ever been so bored you contemplate suicide just because it’s something to do?” Batayeh asked his followers on April 17, 2016.
On Nov. 20, 2019, the actor again appeared in a morose frame of mind, tweeting: “Holiday season is here. It’s a time of reflection and rebirth. It’s also a time of depression and suicide. It’s all perspective.”
He sardonically added, “#tistheseason.”
Batayeh’s family previously told The Post that the actor died in his sleep of a heart attack and that his passing was very sudden.
When contacted by The Post on Monday, Batayeh’s manager, Steve Owens, reiterated that the actor “died of a heart attack in his sleep” without further comment.
However, a Pittsfield Township Police Department report obtained by The Post indicated that law enforcement had been called to his third-floor, one-bedroom apartment for an “unattended death” and “possible suicide.”
According to the report, a male relative was aware of Batayeh’s “turbulent mental health” and that Batayeh had spent a weekend with him late last month “to distract himself.” The relative claimed to police that Batayeh had attempted suicide about a decade ago.
The report also noted that another witness, identified as Batayeh’s “therapist,” claimed that the actor had been his client “off and on for the past seven years,” and the witness had become concerned when Batayeh missed a scheduled appointment on the morning of June 1.
Batayeh was not married and did not have children.
The Michigan native is best known for his role in “Breaking Bad.”
He played Markowski, the manager of an industrial laundromat run by drug kingpin Gus Fring, for three episodes in 2011 and 2012.
Batayeh also made appearances in other hit shows including “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “The Bernie Mac Show,” “The Shield,” “Boy Meets World” and “CSI: Miami.”
Meanwhile, he appeared in movies including “American Dreamz” (2006), “This Narrow Place” (2011) and the 2012 drama “Detroit Unleaded.”
Batayeh is survived by his five sisters, as well as nieces and nephews — the latter relatives calling him their “Funcle,” according to an obituary provided by the family that praised him as a “kind, sensitive, intelligent, and gifted soul.”
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
