In the cult series “Friends” he played the blonde, sarcastic “Central Perk” manager Gunther for ten seasons. Now actor James Michael Tyler succumbed to cancer at the age of 59.
As the celebrity magazine “TMZ” reports, Tyler passed away peacefully on Sunday morning in his home in LA.
His family told TMZ: “The world knew him as Gunther from the hit series, but Michael’s loved ones knew him as an actor, musician and loving husband … Once you’ve met him, you’ve made a friend for life.”
Tyler has had prostate cancer since 2018. His health deteriorated more and more during the corona pandemic. In the end he had tumors on his spine and was in a wheelchair.
Tyler announced his cancer diagnosis at the beginning of the year – shortly before the TV reunion celebrated with the big stars of the series. He later clarified why he hadn’t gone public earlier – he said he didn’t want to be a downer for the special moment. “I didn’t mean to say, ‘Oh, by the way, Gunther has cancer’”.
At the time he said there was only one thing he regretted in his life: “I should have gone to the doctor earlier. Then it might have been discovered earlier. “
In addition to “Friends”, James Michael Tyler also appeared in the series “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”, “Scrubs”, “Modern Music” and “Just Shoot Me” over the course of his career.
But his biggest success was the Gunther role in “Friends”. Over the course of the 10-year term, he starred in 150 episodes.