Friends fame starred as Gunther (James Michael Tyler) lost his battle to cancer at the age of 59 on Sunday morning at his home in Los Angeles.
He is survived by his wife – Jennifer Carno, to whom he got married in 2017. Tyler was diagnosed with ‘advanced prostate cancer’ in 2018, which later spread to his bones.
Tyler’s manager cited, “He always wanted to assist as many people as possible. Tyler bravely shared his story and became a campaigner for those with a prostate to get a blood test as early as – 40-years-old.”
He added that “The world knew him for his character as Gunther – (the seventh Friend) but ‘Michael’s loved ones knew him as an – actor, musician, cancer awareness advocate, and a loving husband.”
Beloved role of Tyler –
Tyler is loved by people around the globe for his role as Gunther in the most popular TV show – Friends. Gunther played the role of a waiter and manager in the show’s coffee house, Central Perk. As per his role, he had a crush on ‘Jennifer Aniston’s’ character Rachel throughout the TV series, who also worked there as a – waitress in the early seasons of the show.
Paying her tribute to Tyler, Jennifer Aniston, who played the character of ‘Rachel’ wrote on her Instagram page and stated, “Friends would never have been the ‘same’ without you. ‘Thank you’ for the laughter you brought to the show & to all of our lives. You will be so missed.”
While his co-star Courteney Cox, who played Monica, asserted in her Instagram post, “The size of gratitude you brought into the room & showed every day on set is the size of the gratitude, that I hold for knowing you.”
Warner Bros Television – one of the co-producers of the sitcom Friends, also cited that Tyler was a beloved actor & an integral part of Friends family.
Tyler was diagnosed with prostate cancer in the year 2018 but did not publicly disclose his illness until June 2021, soon after the release of “Friends: The Reunion”.
