James Michael Tyler, Gunther of Friends, died

Behind the counter at Central Perk, everyone knew him as Gunther, the bartender of Friends, the confidant who kept the fans of the series company for 150 episodes. In the real world, however, it was called James Michael Tyler, a professional who died yesterday, Sunday 24 October, due to prostate cancer at the age of 59. The cancer, in a very advanced stage, was first diagnosed in 2018: “The world knew him as Gunther, from the hit series Friends, but his loved ones knew him how actor, musician e loving husbandWrote his manager Toni Benson in a tribute. “Michael loved live music, cheered on his Clemson Tigers, and often found himself on fun, unplanned adventures.”

Before joining the large family of Friends, in 1994, James Michale Tyler appeared, in some 90s cult series such as Just Shoot Me! e Sabrina – Bewitched. Tyler was cast for the second season of Friends, of which she became a recurring guest star, while working as a bartender at the Bourgeois Pig coffee shop in Los Angeles. Warner Bros. Television, which produced the series, has remembered him as “a beloved actor and an integral part of our Friends family.”

Along with the studios, too Jennifer Aniston e Courtney Cox paid tribute to Tyler’s memory on social media. “Friends it wouldn’t have been the same without you. Thanks for land laughter that you brought to the set and into the lives of all of us. I will miss you so much, ”wrote Jennifer Aniston, aka Rachel, the girl Gunther had a crush on. “The magnitude of the gratitude that you brought with you and that you showed every day on set is the magnitude of the gratitude that I have for knowing you. Rest in peace James, ”Cox wrote instead. After the close of Friends, in 2004, James Michael Tyler also appeared in, among others Scrubs e Modern Music.