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Actor Michael Newman, who played lifeguard Mike 'Newmie' Newman on the popular television series Baywatch, has died at the age of 68, his close friend, Matt Felker, who directed the recent Hulu docuseries After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun, confirmed to PEOPLE.
Newman, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2006, died "from heart complications" Sunday (October 20) evening "surrounded by his family and friends," according to Felker.
"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 told PEOPLE.
Newman was the only real-life lifeguard among the Baywatch cast and appeared on 150 episodes, which is the second-most by any actor behind only David Hasselhoff. The Los Angeles native was also a full-time firefighter while filming Baywatch, a position he continued after the show's conclusion in 2001 until his retirement after 25 years.
Newman was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2006 at the age of 50, which was highlighted in the After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun docuseries.
“This terminal disease has allowed me a lot of thinking time, which I maybe didn’t want, but it’s brought me wisdom,” Newman told PEOPLE in August.
“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 added.