Friends actor James Michael Tyler dead at 59 – star who played Gunther passes after battling stage 4 prostate cancer
FRIENDS actor James Michael Tyler, who played Gunther, has passed away at the age of 59 after his battle with stage 4 prostate cancer.
The actor’s rep confirmed the tragic news to TMZ.
The comedic star, who passed away at his home in Los Angeles, was first diagnosed with cancer in 2018. He had kept his diagnosis private for about three years.
Tyler is best known for playing the coffee shop manager Gunther in Friends.
Co-star Jennifer Aniston shared a throwback video and a lovely snapshot on her Instagram.
In the short clip, James’ Gunther professed his love to Jennifer’s Rachel, right in front of her boyfriend Ross (David Schwimmer). Rachel said she loved him too but “not in the same way.”
Jennifer captioned the post: “Friends would not have been the same without you.”
Courteney Cox, who played Monica, also shared the same sweet snap of James on her Instagram post.
She wrote: “The size of gratitude you brought into the room and showed every day on set is the size of the gratitude I hold for having known you.”
She closed with: “Rest In peace James,” and added a black heart emoji.
Also paying tribute, Matt LeBlanc – who played Joey – said: “We had a lot of laughs buddy. You will be missed. RIP my friend.”
Lis Kudrow, who starred as Phoebe, said in her Instagram post: “James Michael Tyler, we will miss you. Thank you for being there for us all.”
And the series’ co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane told CNN that the actor was a “kind, sweet man”.
They said: “When he started as an extra on ‘Friends,’ his unique spirit caught our eye and we knew we had to make him a character. He made Gunther’s unrequited love incredibly relatable. Our heart goes out to his wife, Jennifer Carno.”
American writer Jeffrey Klarik said: “He was a lovely, lovely man. Today is a very sad day.”
And Friends Twitter account posted: “Warner Bros. Television mourns the loss of James Michael Tyler, a beloved actor and integral part of our FRIENDS family. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, colleagues, and fans.”
‘RIP MY FRIEND’
Tyler’s family said in a statement: “The world knew him as Gunther (the seventh ‘Friend’), from the hit series Friends, but Michael’s loved ones knew him as an actor, musician, cancer-awareness advocate, and loving husband.
“Michael loved live music, cheering on his Clemson Tigers, and would often find himself in fun and unplanned adventures.
“If you met him once you made a friend for life.”
James has had TV spots on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Scrubs, Modern Music, and Just Shoot Me!
Fans will remember him most as Gunther, Rachel’s unrequited admirer throughout the NBC show’s ten seasons.
Back in June, James had revealed he was battling stage 4 prostate cancer since 2018.
Doctors discovered the cancer during a routine physical exam.
During an appearance on theToday show in June, he mentioned that the cancer had started “mutating” at the beginning of the pandemic.
Tyler revealed: “I was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, which had spread to my bones.
“I’ve been dealing with that diagnosis for almost the past three years…”
He continued: “It’s stage 4. Late stage cancer. So eventually, you know, it’s gonna probably get me.”
He was paralyzed in his lower body as the disease had spread to his bones and spine.
‘GOAL TO SAVE A LIFE’
The actor said at the time: “My goal this past year was to see my 59th birthday. I did that. My goal now is to at least save one life.”
He called for those with a prostate to get a first PSA blood test when they turn 40 years old.
Due to the chemotherapy, the illness squashed his plans to appear in person at the Friends: The Reunion show, which had aired on HBO Max.
He said: “I wanted to be a part of that, and initially I was going to be on the stage, at least, with them, and be able to take part in all the festivities.”
James’ manager, Toni Benson, had spoken to People about how his client wanted “to live,” even though he had been “through some rough times.”
Toni continued: “Lately he’s been having amazing days. He’s done his second round of chemo and so far he is doing really well.
“And he’s hopeful it will be effective.”
Although James was “wheelchair bound,” Toni assured fans that the TV actor had “the most amazing attitude” during this difficult period and that he was “going to fight this.”
‘OUTPOURING OF LOVE’
On his Instagram, the Friends star announced he had “finished” his second round of chemotherapy since “last week.”
James gave a thumbs-up while sitting in his chair.
In the caption of his snap, he wrote: “Thank you all so much for your outpouring of love and support. It means the world to me.
“Early detection can make all the difference.”
Months before his death, Tyler uploaded a seven-minute clip of him voicing the Stephen J Kalinich poem “If you Knew”.
He shared the video to raise awareness for the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
One verse from the poem reads: “If you knew that death was a thought, would you let it dissolve and live forever?”
The late comedic actor is survived by his wife, Jennifer Carno.
