“Baywatch” star Michael Newman has died. He was 68.

Newman died on October 20 “of heart complications,” longtime friend Matthew Felker confirmed to People magazine. According to Felker, who directed the recent documentary “After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun,” Newman was surrounded by family and friends.

“I saw Mike one last time when he woke up and he looked [at] me and, in typical Mike fashion, said, ‘You came at the right time,’” Felker told the outlet.

“Mike and I have a very special relationship and friendship,” he added in a statement to Fox News Digital. “I promised him when we started our series that I would help raise awareness for Parkinson’s disease, and I told him the last time I saw him that I would continue to do so.”

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Michael Newman has died aged 68 after battling Parkinson’s disease. (Getty Images)

Newman and Felker met five years ago, according to a post the filmmaker shared on Instagram.

“After five years of following his life and becoming very close friends, Mike was able to see the series come to life,” Felker writes. “The number of problems and obstacles this series encountered was like no other. Mike was not only a real-life hero. He was a competitor throughout. I knew how much this series meant to him and his life. There were times when I wanted to throw it all in the trash… and then I remembered Mike, I couldn’t let him down. I couldn’t give up.”

“We succeeded in doing something that was almost impossible together against obstacles you wouldn’t believe. Seeing him shine at our premiere in Santa Monica was worth it—I’ve endured for years. He said ‘he did it… he really did it!’ You did it Mike.”

“I saw Mike before he passed away,” he added. “He was almost unconscious… when I showed up, he was almost miraculously awake and looked at me and said ‘you came at the right time’ and laughed. That was Mike. He found humor right up 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, he held my hand so tight and looked me straight in the eye and just nodded, I nodded. and said, ‘We will meet again.. I promise’. A few days later, I lost my friend. Thank you for coming into my life, Newmie.”

Newman was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2006 at the age of 50.

“This terminal illness has allowed me a lot of time to think, which I probably didn’t want, but it’s given me wisdom,” Newman told People magazine in August.

“My body changes so slowly that I hardly notice them, but I am constantly reminded that Parkinson’s is now the center of my life.”

Michael Newman appeared in 150 episodes of “Baywatch.” (Getty Images)

Newman is best known for his role as lifeguard Mike “Newmie” Newman on “Baywatch.” He is the only member of the cast to work as a lifeguard in real life.

Newman also appeared in more episodes than any other cast member on the series aside from “Baywatch” star David Hasselhoff. His face appeared on TV screens in 150 episodes from 1989 to 2001.

Co-star Donna D’Errico paid tribute to Newman on Instagram.

“Newmie was better to me than anyone else on the show,” she wrote. “Always kind and encouraging, he was a gentle, calm person who made my years on ‘Baywatch’ easier. I was always so happy when we were filming a scene together because he was such a joy to work with. He knew I was afraid of water and couldn’t swim and was an excellent swimmer himself, so he quietly helped me through my underwater scenes. I was so sad to hear of his passing today.”

Donna D’Errico, actor and lifeguard Michael Newman and Traci Bingham attend a “Baywatch” press event to introduce the show’s new cast on Malibu Beach on July 17, 1996. (Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images)

Newman is survived by his wife, Sarah, their two children and a granddaughter.

Before his death, the actor and his wife had planned to retire to Hawaii. They built a house two blocks from where “Baywatch: Hawaii” was filmed.

“Life is short,” Newman previously told People magazine. “That’s something I didn’t really give myself a chance to think about before I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.”