Baywatch star dies after lengthy health battle
Baywatch actor Michael Newman has died at the age of 68 after a lengthy battle with Parkinson's disease.
The actor, who played lifeguard Mike “Newmie” Newman on Baywatch in the 1990s, was diagnosed with the neurological condition 18 years ago, and died “from heart complications” on Sunday evening “surrounded by his family and friends.”
His death was confirmed Tuesday by Newman’s close friend, Matt Felker, who recently directed the Hulu docu-series about Baywatch.
“I got to see Mike the last time he was conscious and he looked [at] me and in typical Mike fashion said, ‘You’re just in time,’” Felker told People.
Newman was the only Baywatch cast member who was a real-life lifeguard. He appeared on 150 episodes of the show, the most of anyone except David Hasselhoff.
While starring on Baywatch, he continued to work as a full-time firefighter and returned to the job after the show ended in 2001, until he retired after 25 years.
Newman was 50 when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2006, as he spoke about living with the disease just months ago.
“This terminal disease has allowed me a lot of thinking time, which I maybe didn’t want, but it’s brought me wisdom,” Newman told People in August.
“My body has changed so slowly that I hardly notice it, yet I am constantly reminded that Parkinson’s has now become the centre of my life,” he added.
“I am cherishing the days that I get to be on this earth with family and friends,” he went on. “I’m taking life seriously.”
Newman spent the final years of his life raising money with the Michael J. Fox Foundation to help find a cure for Parkinson’s.
The late star is survived by his wife of 36 years, Sarah, their children Chris and Emily, and their 1-year-old granddaughter, Charlie.
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