Matthew Felker – the director behind After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun – threw a fundraiser close to his heart to honor his friend and Baywatch star Michael “Newmie” Newman. The November 14 event happened following Michael’s October death from Parkinson’s disease at 67 years old.
“I screened a director’s cut of Baywatch: The American Dream featuring Mike and his story with the North Shore Lifeguards,” Matthew exclusively tells In Touch. ”All the things Mike was passionate about – raising awareness and money for Parkinson’s and first responders/lifeguards. It was full of unseen footage from Hulu’s After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun.”
Matthew adds that being able to tell Mike’s story was “the most rewarding thing” he was able to do with the new series. “I also knew how much it meant to him,” he says. “His will and determination rubbed off on me. Mike was the most important relationship I’ve had in my adult life. He taught me a lot of things. I promised him that I would work with the Michael J. Fox Foundation to raise money and awareness and try to end what he was suffering from.”
To learn more about the fundraiser in memory of Mike’s life, click here.
