Michael Newman, one of the stars in the 1990s syndicated TV show “Baywatch,” has died at the age of 68 after dealing with Parkinson’s disease for many years, reports say.
Matthew Felker, a friend of Newman, confirmed the death in a post on Instagram. Felker also is the director of the Hulu docuseries “After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun.”
“Few of us are lucky enough to have someone like Mike Newman enter and change their life,” Felker says on Instagram. “I lost my hero yesterday. As I told him before he left this earth, ‘I will see you again. I promise.’”
Felker says in the post that he and others read Newman letters and played videos from friends before he died. “He knew he was loved,” Felker says.
People reports that Felker says Newman died Sunday of “heart complications.” Newman was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 18 years 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 once said of having Parkinson’s, according to People.
Newman appeared in 150 episodes of “Baywatch” from 1989 to 2000, second only to star David Hasselhoff. According to his biography on IMDB.com, he was the only actor on the show who actually worked as a Los Angeles County lifeguard.
NBC News reports Newman also was a full-time firefighter and had to arrange his filming schedule around his other job. He continued working as a firefighter after the series ended.
Newman is survived by his wife, Sarah; his grown children, Chris and Emily; and his 1-year-old granddaughter, Charlie, NBC News reports.