Michael Newman, best known for his starring role as Mike “Newmie” Newman on the original Baywatch series, has died aged 68.
Matt Felker, his close friend and After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun director, confirmed Newman’s passing on Sunday (October 20), telling People he died “from heart complications.”
Newman’s death comes nearly 20 years after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2006. Parkinson’s is a nervous system disorder that causes a gradual decline in motor and non-motor abilities, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation.
“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 recalled, adding that the actor was “surrounded by his friends and family” at the time of his death.
Born in 1957 in California, Newman rose to fame for his portrayal of lifeguard Newmie in the long-running drama Baywatch, which ran from 1989 to 2001.
Newman starred in 150 episodes of the 11-season soap opera, which followed the day-to-day lives of a group of dedicated Malibu lifeguards. He was the only cast member on the series who was a real-life trained lifeguard.
During his time on the show, Newman also worked as a full-time firefighter and was able to balance his schedule at the firehouse while filming Baywatch. Once the series came to an end, he continued his career as a firefighter until he eventually retired after 25 years.
He also appeared in a few 1996 episodes of the spinoff series Baywatch Nights, and was featured in Felker’s Baywatch docuseries, which was released on Hulu in August.
While promoting the documentary, Newman expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to share his story, telling People: “Matt Felker, in the making of this documentary, has given me and other Baywatch cast members a chance to tell our stories as they truly reflect our real lives. This opportunity means a lot to me.”
In recent years, he had spent his time helping raise money with the Michael J Fox Foundation to find a cure for Parkinson’s. “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 told the outlet.
“This terminal disease has allowed me a lot of thinking time, which I maybe didn’t want, but it’s brought me wisdom.”
Newman is survived by his wife of 36 years, Sarah, his now-adult children – Chris and Emily – and his one-year-old granddaughter, Charlie.
