EXCLUSIVE: Bloated Ex-'Baywatch' Beefcake David Hasselhoff is Now 'Virtually Crippled' And Headed for Brutal Knee Surgery
New health fears have emerged for David Hasselhoff.
May 29 2025, Published 6:30 a.m. ET
Broken-down David Hasselhoff is finally headed for knee surgery after living with crippling pain in his joints for years – and RadarOnline.com can reveal his debilitating condition could be dragging him down until the day he dies due to his weight.
Insiders say the 72-year-old actor, who famously runs on the beach in the opening credits of Baywatch reruns, can barely walk on his own after the battering his body has taken.
"He put his body through high-intensity pressure doing stunts on shows like Knight Rider, and it’s left him an achy, breaky mess," our source said.
"And the serious drinking problem he had didn't help, even though he has since quit the booze."
Health Woes
The tragic death of Pamela Bach, left, also casts a long shadow over Hasselhoff.
Hasselhoff struggled with alcohol until getting sober in 2004 following a drunk driving charge, and famously relapsed in 2007 when his daughter filmed him drunkenly eating a burger off the kitchen floor of his Las Vegas home.
The star was also injured in a 2003 motorcycle accident with then-wife Pamela Bach that left him with broken ribs and a fractured lower back.
"People around him are shaking their heads and saying it's no wonder he needs knee surgery," our source added.
The current medical emergency comes just two months after ex-wife Pamela, the mother of his daughters Taylor, 35, and Hayley, 32, committed suicide at her Hollywood Hills home.
The actress had also suffered from debilitating arthritis after the motorcycle crash.
Doctor's Fears
Dr. Gabe Mirkin warns Hasselhoff's stunt-heavy past and cartilage loss means permanent pain and no more action-packed feats.
The onetime TV heartthrob was a hobbling version of his former self when he was seen arriving at LAX after a vacation in Cabo San Lucas with current wife Hayley Roberts, 45.
An airport employee pushed him in a wheelchair before he got up with difficulty to lean on Roberts the rest of the way through the terminal.
Despite obvious distress, he tried to seem upbeat.
"Everything is great. Having knee surgery," the former Hollywood hellraiser said, while admitting he was in pain.
"He's been putting it off for so long, but he has no choice," our insider continued.
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He's been struggling to walk alongside his much younger wife Hayley Roberts.
They also warned: "He can't walk on his own, and his already creaky, frail body will be going through the wringer now.
"He's got to be scared. He’s in a lot of agony and it’s something he’ll have to live with the rest of his life."
Dr. Gabe Mirkin, who has not treated Hasselhoff, told RadarOnline.com the actor "is in such severe pain and disability that he probably has bone-on-bone loss of cartilage and will need a knee replacement with a whole new joint.
The medic told us: "He may have pain for the rest of his life. He can never safely run, jump or do stunts again."
