‘Baywatch’ star Michael Newman dies at 68 after Parkinson’s diagnosis

Michael Newman, known for his role on Baywatch, passed away on Sunday at the age of 68, 18 years after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

Newman, who portrayed Michael “Newmie” Newman on the hit '80s and '90s drama, drew on his real-life experience as a lifeguard for the role. He had been living with Parkinson’s since his 2006 diagnosis.

Director Matt Felker, a close friend, announced Newman’s death on social media on Monday, sharing that he had passed away “from heart complications” while surrounded by loved ones.

“Mike was not only a real-life hero. He was a competitor through and through,” Felker wrote in a heartfelt post. He reflected on how Newman’s encouragement kept him from abandoning After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun, a docuseries he directed that examines the cast’s lives after the show.

Recalling a recent visit with Newman, Felker shared, “He was mostly unconscious, but when I arrived, he woke up like a miracle, looked at me, and said, ‘You’re just in time,’ and laughed. That was Mike—he kept his sense of humor to the end.”

During an August promotion for the series, Newman reflected on his Parkinson’s journey, saying, “It has given 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, but Parkinson’s has now become the center of my life.”

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive nervous system disorder that affects movement, speech, and balance. Symptoms, such as hand tremors, can begin mildly but worsen over time. While treatments exist, there is currently no cure.

Newman appeared in 150 episodes of Baywatch, which aired from 1989 to 2001, becoming the only cast member with actual lifeguard experience. He also featured in the spinoff Baywatch Nights and the 1998 film Baywatch: White Thunder at Glacier Bay. The iconic series starred David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson, Nicole Eggert, and Alexandra Paul.

In addition to acting, Newman served as a full-time firefighter, retiring after 25 years. Remarkably, he managed to balance his firefighting career with his work on Baywatch.

Newman was also a passionate advocate for Parkinson’s research. In his final years, he raised funds for the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which is dedicated to finding a cure for the disease.

He is survived by his wife, Sarah, his son Chris, daughter Emily, and granddaughter Charlie.

Parkinson’s Canada reports that more than 12,500 people were diagnosed with the disease between 2019 and 2020, with over 103,000 living with Parkinson’s during that period.