James Michael Tyler Who Played Gunther On Friends Passes Away At 59-Years-Old

This is a sad day, because we all lost a Friend. James Michael Tyler, the man who played Gunther on Friends, passed away at the age of 59-years-old.

TMZ reports that Tyler passed away after his battle with stage 4 prostate cancer. He died “peacefully Sunday morning at his home in L.A.”

His family released a statement to the outlet where they said, “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. 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.”

He first revealed his cancer diagnosis eariler this year. Fans were stunned and very worried, because he had just made an appearance on the HBO Max Friends reunion special. He didn’t want to be a downer during that moment, so he waited to go public until after the reunion was over.

Gunther was in 150 episodes of Friends over the show’s 10 season run. He was the only recurring character to never miss a season and the cast considered him as part of the main gang as well. He will be missed. RIP.

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