James Michael Tyler, ‘Friends’ Gunther, dies aged 59

James Michael Tyler, the Gunther of ‘Friends’, has died aged 59. The actor passed away Sunday at his Los Angeles home after battling prostate cancer, first diagnosed in 2018, CNN reads. In the legendary 90s series ‘Friends’ James Michael Tyler played Gunther, the manager of the Central Perk café, obsessed with Rachel (Jennifer Aniston). Sit-com co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane called him a “genuinely kind and sweet man. When he started out as an extra in ‘Friends’, his unique spirit caught our attention and we knew we had to make him a character. “, they added. In addition to Friends, the actor had also appeared, among other things, in Sabrina, Bewitched, Scrubs and Shadows from the past.
Tyler first revealed he was battling stage four cancer in June when he spoke on NBC’s Today Show and said doctors had discovered the disease during a routine visit when he was 56. The cancer had now spread to his bones, he added, preventing him from walking. For this reason he had not been able to personally attend the filming of the reunion of the cast of ‘Friends’. “Friends would not have been the same without you. Thank you for the laughs you have brought to the show and to all of our lives. We will miss you so much.” , writes Jennifer Aniston in a message on Instagram which accompanies a video of the two of them in a famous scene from the TV series. “The joy and gratitude that you brought and showed every day on the set is equal to the one I feel for having known you”, reads the post by Courtney Cox, who played Monica in the TV series.