Baywatch star Michael Newman has tragically died at the age of 68.
Newman rose to fame in the ’90s after playing a lifeguard on the long-running series, starring alongside Pamela Anderson and Carmen Electra.
The heartbreaking news was confirmed by Newman’s close friend, Matt Felker, who revealed the late actor died “from heart complications” on Sunday, October 20, according to PEOPLE.
The 45-year-old, who directed the recent Hulu docuseries After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun, shared that Newman was “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 revealed to the outlet.
Newman endured an 18-year battle with Parkinson’s disease.
He was first diagnosed at the age of 50 in 2006 and devoted his later years to fundraising for the Michael J Fox Foundation.
In a heartfelt interview with PEOPLE this August, the late actor opened up about his desire to raise awareness about the condition through his own experiences.
“This terminal disease has allowed me a lot of thinking time, which I maybe didn’t want, but it’s brought me wisdom,” he said. “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 revealed he took 10 medications a day and would often wake up “jittery,” adding: “I am cherishing the days that I get to be on this earth with family and friends. I’m taking life seriously.”
He said that his life mantra is, “It’s not a run-through,” and concluded: “All those things that you thought you were going to do with your children and grandchildren, pictures we were going to take, all the plans I had… stopped.”
Newman was the only member of the Baywatch cast who was actually a lifeguard. He was also a firefighter who balanced his on-screen career with his full-time career.
Once the show concluded in 2001, he returned to firefighting before hanging up his helmet 25 years later.
The late star is survived by his wife of 36 years, Sarah, their children Chris and Emily, and their one-year-old granddaughter, Charlie.
Our thoughts are with Newman’s family and friends at this time.
My Blood Froze When I Opened My Husband’s Drawer the Day after Moving in with Him
Freya was excited to start her new life with George at his family’s fairy-tale-like estate. Shortly after moving in, Valerie, the maid, gave Freya a cold stare and later tipped her off about George’s secret life with a message on Freya’s phone: “Check your husband’s drawer. The top left one, specifically. Then RUN!”
Inside the drawer, Freya found love letters and a key. The letters were written by George to a woman named Elena, revealing a deep past love and plans for a future together. The final letter was dated just three days before George proposed to Freya. The key led Freya to a dusty attic filled with photographs of George and Elena, including an ultrasound image of their unborn baby.
“Elena is my sister,” Valerie revealed. She explained that George had abandoned Elena when he learned their baby had Down syndrome, seeing them as a burden. George’s sister confirmed that the attic was his favorite room.
Freya, with Valerie’s support, confronted George’s family. “Is this true?” George’s father demanded. George’s silence was damning. The family fallout was swift; George was disinherited, and his inheritance was redirected to support Elena and her child.
Freya was granted a divorce and received assets meant for George. She used the funds to start a foundation for children with disabilities, managed by Valerie and supported by George’s mother. Freya turned her heartbreak into a mission to help others, ensuring a positive outcome from a devastating revelation.
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