James Michael Tyler, “Gunther” on Friends Passes Away

James Michael Tyler, best known for his role as Gunter on Friends, passed away on Sunday, October 24.

Although he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018, it was only this June that the 59-year-old actor announced the news. It was accompanied by the sad fact that the cancer was at Stage 4 and had spread to his bones.

He made the news public with the intention of encouraging young people to have timely checks on their prostate health.

Long-time friend and manager Toni Benson confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Tyler passed away in his Los Angeles home, writing, “if you met him once you made a friend for life.” Matt Le Blanc, Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, and Lisa Kudrow took to Instagram to mourn his death.

Similarly, Friends co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane spoke about what an incredibly genuine and kind person Tyler was:

When he started as an extra on Friends, his unique spirit caught our eye and we knew we had to make him a character. He made Gunther’s unrequited love incredibly relatable.

Marta Kauffman and David Crane

His inclusion in Friends was incidental; having been spotted working in the Bourgeois Pig coffee shop, he was then asked to do the same in the background of Central Perk.

Tyler first appeared as Gunther in Season 1’s Episode 2. Manager at the Central Perk, Gunther has always had a crush on the oblivious Rachel. For almost two seasons, Gunther had no dialogues.

As the showrunners agree, Tyler proved that his character could strike a good, funny rapport with the main Friends. Some of his best on-screen moments have been getting kissed by Phoebe, refusing to serve and then kicking out a customer Rachel hit on, and telling on Ross when he cheats on Rachel.

He appeared on a total of 150 episodes, being one of the most recurring characters on the show. He later was also a part of Matt Le Blanc’s Episodes and the recent Friends Union.

Tyler’s run as Gunther may have ended with him finally confessing his feelings for Rachel in Friends’ series finale, but remains a vital part of the Friends universe.