“Baywatch” actor Michael Newman, who played the same-named character “Newmie,” died over the weekend of heart complications following an 18-year struggle with Parkinson’s disease.

Mr. Newman, 67, who was a trained lifeguard unlike his fellow cast members and who also worked as a Los Angeles County firefighter during the show’s run, died Sunday while in the company of his family and friends, documentarian Matt Felker confirmed to People magazine.

In his time on “Baywatch,” Mr. Newman appeared in 109 episodes according to The Hollywood Reporter, surpassed only by David Hasselhoff and Jeremy Jackson, who played father and son Mitch and Hobie Buchannon.

Starting as a stuntman, Mr. Newman graduated to a dialogue part and eventually received billing in the opening credits. He, along with Mr. Hasselhoff, left “Baywatch” after its 10th season, its first after relocating from California to Hawaii.

Mr. Felker became a close friend of Mr. Newman through their work on the Hulu documentary series “After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun.”

“I got to see Mike before he passed away. He was unconscious mostly … when I showed up he was awake almost like a miracle and looked at me and said ‘you’re just in time’ and laughed. … A few days later. I lost my friend. A hero. My hero. Thanks for coming into my life Newmie. Even if it was a brief time,” Mr. Felker wrote in an Instagram post Tuesday.

In August, Mr. Newman told People that “this terminal disease has allowed me a lot of thinking time, which I maybe didn’t want, but it’s brought me wisdom … I am cherishing the days that I get to be on this earth with family and friends.”

A Los Angeles-area native, Mr. Newman had decades of lifeguard experience when he made his “Baywatch” debut, starting as a Santa Monica Junior Lifeguard at age 10 and working his way up to being a Los Angeles County lifeguard for 20 years, according to Deadline.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.