James Michael Tyler, Gunther from ‘FRIENDS’, passes away; Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox pay tribute

James Michael Tyler, best known for playing the beloved character Gunther on the hit sitcom ‘Friends’, passed away at the age of 59. He had been battling prostate cancer since 2018. As per Tylor’s representative Toni Benson, he breathed his last on October 24, 2021, at his home in Los Angeles.

Benson 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.”

Tyler’s character 'Gunther' worked as a waiter and manager in the famous ‘Central Perk’ coffee house, which was a common hangout place for the gang in the series ‘Friends’. In May 2021, James Michael Tyler had made a brief virtual appearance on the much-awaited ‘Friends’ reunion special.

Warner Bros TV tweeted that it was mourning the demise of ‘a beloved actor and integral part of our Friends family. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, colleagues, and fans.’

Jennifer Aniston, one of the ‘Friends’ star who played the character Rachel, in a heartwarming Instagram post wrote, “Friends would not have been the same without you. Thank you for the laughter you brought to the show and to all of our lives. You will be so missed #JamesMichaelTyler.”

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Jennifer Aniston (@jenniferaniston)

Courtney Cox, known for playing Monica on ‘Friends’ wrote, “The size of gratitude you brought into the room and showed everyday on set is the size of the gratitude I hold for having known you. Rest in Peace James.”

 

 

 

 

 

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Matt LeBlanc, Joey from ‘Friends’, paid tribute to James Michael Tyler, “We had a lot of laughs buddy. You will be missed. RIP my friend.”

 

 

 

 

 

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Lisa Kudrow, known for playing Phoebe on ‘Friends’, wrote: “James Michael Tyler, we will miss you. Thank you for being there for us all. #jamesmichaeltyler.”

 

 

 

 

 

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Other than the main cast of FRIENDS, Maggie Wheeler, who played the infamous and much adored ‘Janice’ on the hit sitcom, also paid tribute to James Michael Tyler. She wrote, “I am thankful to have had the chance to know this kind and gentle man. In recent years, James and I enjoyed working alongside one another doing PR for various FRIENDS events and I’m very grateful for the time we spent together. I am so sad to hear of his passing and my thoughts are with his loved ones at this time. #jamesmichaeltyler.”

 

 

 

 

 

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James Michael Tyler: Gunther on sitcom ‘FRIENDS’

•  James Michael Tyler played Gunther on the ‘Friends’ sitcom from 1994 to 2004.

•  Gunther in Friends worked at a coffee shop ‘Central Perk’ and had an unrequited love for Rachel Green, played by Jennifer Aniston.

•  James Michael Tyler as Gunther appeared for 10 years on Friends series with appearances in 148 of 236 episodes of the beloved 1990s sitcom. He was the show’s most frequently appearing recurring character actor.

James Michael Tyler: Other than ‘FRIENDS’

James Michael Tyler had appeared in a number of other roles in series such as ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’, ‘Scrubs’, and ‘Modern Music’.

After being diagnosed with Cancer, Tyler had also starred in two short films- ‘The Gesture’ and ‘The Word’. He had also featured in Matt LeBlanc’s ‘Episodes’ in 2012.

Appearance at ‘FRIENDS’ reunion special

In May 2021, when the ‘FRIENDS’ cast gathered together for a much-awaited reunion, which took the internet by storm, James Michael Tyler met his fans and co-stars via a video call. At the time, he was being treated for prostate cancer.