Baywatch star Michael Newman, who played lifeguard Mike “Newmie” Newman on the hit 1990s action drama series, has died. He was 68.
The passing was confirmed by Newman’s close friend, Matt Felker (who directed the Hulu docuseries After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun). He told People the actor died “from heart complications” on the evening of Sunday, October 20 “surrounded by his family and friends.”
“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 the outlet.
Newman rose to fame through his role on Baywatch, where he was the only cast member who was actually a lifeguard. His character was somewhat based on his real life, where he also served as a full-time firefighter while filming the show. He appeared in 150 episodes of the series (the most of anyone except David Hasselhoff), which aired from 1989 to 2001.
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After Baywatch ended, Newman continued to work as a firefighter until his retirement after 25 years. In addition to Baywatch, Newman also appeared in the 1995 spinoff series Baywatch Nights and the films Welcome to Hollywood (1998) and Enemy Action (1999).
Newman was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2006 and dedicated his later years to helping raise money with the Michael J. Fox Foundation to help find a cure for the disease.
Speaking to People back in August, Newman said, “The telling of my personal story brings awareness to the importance of finding a Parkinson’s cure… This terminal disease has allowed me a lot of thinking time, which I maybe didn’t want, but it’s brought me wisdom.”
He added, “My body has changed so slowly that I hardly notice it, yet I am constantly reminded that Parkinson’s has now become the center of my life.”
Newman participated in Felker’s Baywatch docuseries on the condition that the producers team up with the Michael J. Fox Foundation and Cedars-Sinai for Parkinson’s research fundraising. “This may not help me,” the actor said at the time. “But it’s going to help someone down the road.”
He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Sarah, his adult children, Chris and Emily, and his one-year-old granddaughter, Charlie.
