Baywatch star Michael Newman has died at the age of 68, his friend, director Matthew Felker, has confirmed.

Newman played himself as a lifeguard and was the third most regular actor on Baywatch after David Hasselhoff and Jeremy Jackson.

His death comes after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2006.

In a post on Instagram, Felker, who recently directed the documentary After Baywatch: Moment In The Sun, said: “Few of us are lucky enough to have someone like Mike Newman enter and change their life.

“I met Mike five years ago in the beginning stages of a Baywatch series. After five years of following his life and becoming very close friends, Mike was able to see the series come to fruition.

“The amount of issues this series had, and hurdles, was like no other. Mike was not only a real-life hero, he was a competitor through and through.

“I knew how much this series meant to him and his life. There were times I wanted throw it all in the trash and then I remembered Mike – I couldn’t let him down, I couldn’t quit, he never did.

“We succeeded together pulling something off that was nearly impossible against hurdles you wouldn’t believe. Seeing him light up at our premiere in Santa Monica was worth all the bullshit I endured for years.

“He said ‘He did it, he really did it’. You did it, Mike.

“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.

“That was Mike – he found humour all the way until the end.

“Before I left him, we read him letters and played videos from friends from all walks of life, he knew he was loved.

“Before I left him he grabbed my hand as tight as he could and looked me dead in the eyes and just nodded. I nodded and said ‘We will see each other again, I promise’.

“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.”

His Baywatch co-star Gena Lee Nolin, who played Neely Capshaw, replied to Felker’s tribute, saying: “Rest in Peace Newmie. He will be remembered and greatly missed by so many.

“One of the good ones through and through.”

Newman was also a full-time firefighter and continued to work while filming the hit US drama, which ran from 1989 to 1999.

The actor also starred in a number of Baywatch spin-offs, including Baywatch Hawaii, Baywatch: White Thunder At Glacier Bay, and Baywatch Nights.

He also appeared in the 1999 film Enemy Action with C Thomas Howell and Louis Mandylor.

He spent his latter years working with the Michael J Fox Foundation to help find a cure for Parkinson’s.