BaywatchLifeguard Michael Newman Dies at 67 After Parkinson's Diagnosis 18 Years Ago

Mar. 15, 2025

BaywatchstarMichael Newmanhas died after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2006, PEOPLE can confirm. He was 67.

“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 tells PEOPLE.

Newman was also a full-time firefighter and maintained his schedule at the firehouse while filming the show. When the series ended its run, he continued firefighting until he retired after 25 years.

Michael Newman in ‘Baywatch’.Fremantle Media/Shutterstock

Fremantle Media/Shutterstock

The star spent recent years raising money with theMichael J. Fox Foundationto help find a cure for Parkinson’s.

Whilespeaking to PEOPLEin August, Newman said he hoped “the telling of my personal story brings awareness to the importance of finding a Parkinson’s cure.”

The retired actor added of his diagnosis, “This terminal disease has allowed me a lot of thinking time, which I maybe didn’t want, but it’s brought me wisdom.”

“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,” he said while promotingAfter Baywatch: Moment in the Sun.

Diagnosed at age 50, Newman discussed living with the disease in the Felker-directed doc, revealing he took 10 medications a day and would often wake up “jittery.”

“I am cherishing the days that I get to be on this earth with family and friends. I’m taking life seriously,” he told PEOPLE, adding, “It’s not a run-through.”

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Michael Newman attends the ‘After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun’ premiere on Aug. 26, 2024.Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

He reprised his role in the three episodes of the 1995 spinoff seriesBaywatch Nights.

Speaking with PEOPLE, Newman expressed his thanks to Felker for giving him the opportunity to tell his story in theBaywatchdocumentary, which began streaming in August.

“Matt Felker, in the making of this documentary, has given me and otherBaywatchcast members a chance to tell our stories as they truly reflect our real lives,” he said. “This opportunity means a lot to me.”

Donna D’Errico, Michael Newman and Traci Bingham attend a ‘Baywatch’ event in 1996.Vinnie Zuffante/Getty

Vinnie Zuffante/Getty

Before his diagnosis, Newman was planning to retire with Sarah in Hawaii, and had even built their dream home just two blocks from where the spinoffBaywatch: Hawaiihad been filmed.

“Life is short,” Newman told PEOPLE. “It is something I didn’t often give myself a chance to think about before my Parkinson’s diagnosis.”

source: people.com