Councilwoman’s Husband Found Dead in Bay : Death: Retired doctor was found with a gunshot wound to the head. Police called incident an apparent suicide.

Dr. James Watt, the husband of Councilwoman Jean H. Watt, was found dead in Newport Bay on Tuesday in what authorities said was an apparent suicide.

Dr. Watt, 70, was found about 1:40 p.m. in the waters behind his Harbor Island home with a gunshot wound to the head, Police Sgt. Andy Gonis said. He apparently had been standing on the private dock. The councilwoman called police, and officers recovered a rifle at the scene, Gonis said.

Police detectives were investigating the death, but no foul play is suspected, Gonis said.

The death of the well-liked obstetrician, known by many as “Jay,” shocked and saddened friends and acquaintances throughout the city.

Mayor Phil Sansone released a statement extending condolences to Councilwoman Watt and her family. “Mrs. Watt’s long and valuable participation in the affairs of our community are rooted in sincere love and caring for the physical beauty of Newport Beach and those who live here,” Sansone said.

Dr. Watt had recently retired after nearly 40 years of practicing medicine near Hoag Hospital. The couple had been married for about the same amount of time. They raised three daughters and a son in Beacon Bay and Harbor Island, where they bought their present home in 1961.

When Jean Watt got involved in local politics in 1974, her husband chose to stay in the background but was always supportive of her efforts to protect and preserve the environment, friends said. Jean Watt founded Stop Polluting Our Newport, a powerful environmental group credited with stopping expansion of Newport Center, and was elected to the City Council in 1988.

In recent months, the councilwoman has been spearheading citizens’ efforts to buy several large pieces of property from the Irvine Co. to keep the land undeveloped. She started the Newport Conservancy to raise money to buy the land.

Through it all, Jay Watt was a quiet but enthusiastic supporter, friends said. He attended nearly every meeting of the conservancy and helped the group without ever taking the limelight for himself, said Sally Coombe, who does public relations work for the conservancy.

“He was just always there. . . . He attended all the functions,” she said.

Coombe said she had no explanation for his death. “There is no hint of why this would happen,” she said. “It’s just so completely bizarre.”

But Allan Beek, a longtime family friend and a member of one of Newport’s pioneer families, said he sensed Jay Watt may have been ill after seeing his wife and one of their daughters at a meeting Monday. The daughter, who was visiting from San Francisco where she is an urban planner for a law firm, told Beek that she was planning to visit with her father after the meeting. Times correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this story.