Actor James Michael Tyler, who played the iconic role of Gunther on the sitcom Friends, passed away yesterday at the age of 59. Tyler had been suffering from prostate cancer for a long time.
LONG BATTLE AGAINST PROSTATE CANCER
“The world knew him as Gunther, aka the seventh friend from the Friends series. But Michael’s loved ones knew him as an actor, musician, someone who raised awareness about cancer and a loving husband,” Tyler’s family told entertainment website TMZ. . “Once you met him, you had made a friend for life.”
Tyler was first diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018. He kept that private for a long time until he announced the bad news in June of this year. That came as a big shock to many fans, as Tyler appeared in the special Friends reunion a month earlier without saying anything about his illness. “I didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere,” the actor later explained. “I didn’t want it to be like, oh, by the way, Gunther has cancer.”
IMPORTANT SUPPORTING ROLE
In Friends, Tyler mainly had a supporting role as barista Gunther, but a very important one. He was featured in 150 of the 236 episodes. He was best known for his undercover love for Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and with it his hatred for Rachel’s great love Ross (David Schwimmer).
REACTIONS ‘FRIENDS’ COLLEAGUES
The Friends -college of Tyler have nice words for him abandoned on social media. “Friends wouldn’t have been the same without you. Thank you for all the laughter you brought to the show and our lives. We will miss you,” Jennifer Aniston wrote on Instagram. Matt Leblanc, who played Joey on the series, writes: “We had a lot of laughs buddy. You will be missed. Rest in peace, my friend.”
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