James Michael Tyler who was best known in his role as Gunther in popular TV series, ‘Friends’, has died at the age of 59.
According to reports on Sunday, James Michael Tyler died at his home in Los Angeles from prostate cancer, which he had suffered since 2018, said relative Toni Benson.
The cast of the cult series paid tribute to him.
“The world knew him as Gunther (the seventh ‘Friend’) in the series, but his relatives knew him as an actor, musician, cancer activist and loving husband,” his family said in a statement to the American press.
“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,” the family added.
His character in Friends appeared in 150 episodes across 10 seasons of the popular 1990s sitcom. He was the sarcastic manager of Central Perk, the cafe where the other characters hung out. Tyler has appeared in other shows like Scrubs , Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and Modern Music .
In a tweet, Warner Bros. said we mourn the loss of a “beloved actor, an integral part of our FRIENDS family. Our thoughts are with his family, colleagues, friends and fans.” Jennifer Aniston for her part considered that ” Friends would not have been the same series without him”.
“The joy that you showed every day on the set is equivalent to the happiness to have known you,” Courteney Cox added on Instagram. “Thank you for being there for us,” wrote Lisa Kudrow . And Matt LeBlanc added : “We had a lot of fun. We will miss you. Rest in peace my friend.”
Tyler had announced in June on an NBC show that he had suffered from an advanced form of prostate cancer since September 2018, which had spread to his bone system.