Baywatch star Michael Newman has died at the age of 68.

The actor, who shot to fame as lifeguard 'Newmie' on the hit US series - which also starred David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson - passed away following an 18-year battle with Parkinson's disease.

A close friend of the actor confirmed he died on Sunday evening from "heart complications". Friend Matt Felker described how Michael had told him he was "just in time" the last time he saw him.

Felker, who was the director of the Hulu docuseries After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun, also revealed the star was surrounded by family and friends as he passed away.

Michael Newman as lifeguard 'Newmie' on the hit US series (

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Michael was the only cast member who was a trained lifeguard in real life (

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Felker told People magazine: "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'."

Michael, who was a trained lifeguard in real life as well as being a full-time firefighter, kept his job at the firehouse during Baywatch filming.

He also spent a number of years raising money for the Michael J Fox Foundation in a bid to help find a cure for Parkinson's - the disease he was diagnosed with in 2006 at the age of 50.

And in August, he revealed he hoped that by sharing his story, he would help bring awareness to the disease. He told People at the time: "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 centre of my life."

Michael Newman with the cast of Baywatch

Michael appeared in 150 episodes during 10 seasons of Baywatch - which ran from 1989 to 2001 - which was the most of anyone else on the iconic show, except for the show's main star David Hasselhoff.

Initially, he started off as a stuntman - and throughout worked as a full-time firefighter - but was later cast as an star after offering guidance on rescue scenes. He shared: "I was too useful for them to get rid of me. I basically started off as a stuntman, and after seven years of being out of the opening credits, I finally was anointed and allowed to be in the front of the show."

When Baywatch ended, Michael retired from acting after a 25-year career. He said he "took great pleasure" from his craft, but said: "You don’t realise how hard it is to look natural in front of the lens and watch yourself improve and, sometimes, not improve."

But after being diagnosed with Parkinson's, he said "everything changed." He added: "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." Michael is survived by his wife, Sarah, the couple’s two children, Chris and Emily, and granddaughter, Charlie.

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