'Baywatch' actor Michael Newman has died at the age of 68 after an 18-year battle with Parkinson's disease

Michael Newman, who played lifeguard Mike “Newmy” Newman on “Baywatch,” has died. He was 68.

Newman died 18 years after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

The news was confirmed Tuesday by Newman's close friend Matt Felker, who recently directed the Hulu docuseries about “Baywatch.”

The late actor died “of heart complications” on Sunday evening “surrounded by his family and friends”.

“The last time I saw Mike was when he was conscious and he looked [at] Me and Mike said in typical Mike fashion, 'You're just in time,'” Felker told PEOPLE.

Newman was the only “Baywatch” cast member who was a real-life lifeguard. He has appeared in 150 episodes of the show, the most of anyone except David Hasselhoff.

The actor was also a full-time firefighter while starring in “Baywatch.” He returned to firefighting until he retired 25 years later after the show ended in 2001.

Newman was 50 when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2006.

Her life with the disease was highlighted in “After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun,” which explored the cast's lives after being on the beloved show.

“This terminal illness has given me a lot to think about, which I may not have wanted, but it has 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,” she added.

“I cherish the days that I get to be on this earth with family and friends,” he said. “I take life seriously.”

He shared that the words he lives by are, “This is not a run-through.”

In the document, Newman revealed that he took 10 medications a day while battling Parkinson's.

Last year, Newman explained why he retired from Hollywood despite taking “tremendous pleasure” in acting.

“You don't realize that looking natural in front of the lens and improving yourself and sometimes, no Thrive,” he told PEOPLE at the time.

“If you don't have to be there, why would you be?” He added entertainment industry. “Let's be honest … there aren't many actors who survive years of working in Hollywood.”

Newman spent the last years of his life working with Michael J. for a cure for Parkinson's. Spent raising money with the Fox Foundation.

The late star is survived by his wife Sarah of 36 years, their children Chris and Emily and their 1-year-old granddaughter Charlie.