Friends’ James Michael Tyler has died aged 59 following a battle with cancer.
The actor, best known for playing Gunther in the hit sitcom, died peacefully in his sleep on Sunday morning after battling stage four prostate cancer.
Tyler’s family confirmed the news in a statement, that read: ‘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.’
Tyler was first diagnosed with cancer in 2018, but kept his diagnosis private for three years.
In June, Tyler shared on Today Show that the cancer had spread to his bones.
Speaking to Craig Melvin, he explained: ‘I was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, which had spread to my bones.
‘I’ve been dealing with that diagnosis for almost the past three years… It’s stage 4 (now). Late stage cancer. So eventually, you know, it’s gonna probably get me.’
Tyler tarred on the hit sitcom alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and Matthew Perry for 10 years.
He was unable to attend the recent reunion special on HBO Max due to his ongoing health battle.
Confirming that the cast already knew about his illness, he stated: ‘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.
‘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.”‘
Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer. The prostate is a small walnut-shaped gland in males that produces the seminal fluid that nourishes and transports sperm.
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