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.
Carrie Underwood’s Tennessee Farm, Where She Lives with Husband & Sons, Caught Fire
Sunday, June 16 turned alarming for singer Carrie Underwood when a sudden fire broke out at her remote home.
As firefighters battled the relentless blaze late into the night, the cause of the fire remained a mystery, prompting an ongoing investigation into what sparked the flames.
The evening ended on a somber note for singer Carrie Underwood, whose Tennessee home, where she resides with her husband and sons, caught fire in the late evening. The fire is said to have started at around 9:45p.m.
Crew members of the Williamson County Fire Rescue were dispatched to Underwood’s home in the Pinewood community, west of Leiper’s Fork, to extinguish the fire that had engulfed the property’s garage.
Due to Underwood’s home being in a remote area, the County Fire Rescue had to dispatch all eight stations to the home. According to officials, the crew had to travel up a long road and then a lengthy driveway to access the property.
The crew members quickly put out the fire, thanks to the 10,000-gallon water tank in the home.
Unfortunately, the fire had spread into the walls and kept flaring up in hot spots, requiring the firefighters to stay on location for several more hours to manage the flare-ups and prevent further spread.
Luckily, there were no injuries, and Underwood’s family, who were at home during the incident, remained unscathed. There was also no damage to the main house.
Early Monday morning, the Williamson County Fire Rescue released a statement on its Facebook page, detailing the events of the night before. In part, it said that investigations were underway to determine what could have caused the fire. Still, there are speculations that the fire might have been sparked by a UTV that was parked next to the garage.
Following the incident, Carrie Underwood’s spokesman also released a statement indicating that there had been a fire on the property Sunday night, which was quickly contained. They added that the primary residence did not sustain any fire damage, and the family and their pets were unharmed.
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