James Michael Tyler, Who Won Our Hearts As Gunther In ‘Friends’, Has Died At 59
He was just 59 years old.
James Michael Tyler, the actor most well known for his role as Gunther on Friends has died at age 59 after a three-year battle with prostate cancer. He passed away in his LA home on Sunday morning, according to TMZ.
Despite being diagnosed back in 2018, Tyler only revealed the news publicly in June 2021. He appeared in the highly anticipated Friends reunion episode earlier this year, but didn’t mention his cancer diagnosis as to not be a “downer”.
“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,” he said on USA Today, noting that the rest of the cast were aware of his declining health prior to the show.
“It was bittersweet, honestly. I was very happy to be included. It was my decision not to be a part of that physically and make an appearance on Zoom, basically, because I didn’t wanna bring a downer on it, you know? I didn’t want to be like, ‘Oh, and by the way, Gunther has cancer’.”
Prior to his death, Tyler used his situation to advocate for getting early and regular tests for prostate cancer.
“I missed going in for a test, which was not a good thing,” he said in a TV interview earlier this year. “So the cancer decided to mutate at the time of the pandemic, and so it’s progressed.”
Tyler appeared in 150 episodes of the hit show, which is the most episodes of any character outside of the six main cast members, earning him the nickname the “seventh Friend”.
“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,” his manager said in a statement.
“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.”
In addition to his role on Friends, Tyler also appeared in hit shows like Just Shoot Me! and Sabrina The Teenage Witch.