Sad news to start the week, with it revealed Sunday evening that Friends star James Michael Tyler, who memorably played Central Perk’s Gunther, has passed away at only fifty-nine years old after a battle with prostate cancer. Tyler’s last public appearance was on the HBO Max Friends reunion show. He reminisced about his popular character, who was often considered the unofficial seventh friend by fans of the show.
Tyler had been in ill health for some time, with him documenting his cancer battle via his popular Instagram account. Gunther was always a fan favorite, with him nursing a huge crush on Rachel throughout the show. In fact, if you go back and rewatch Friends, Gunther made a few pivotal decisions that had huge ramifications on the storyline. After all, he was the one who hired Rachel at Central Perk, and he was also the one that revealed to Rachel that Ross had cheated on her while they were “on a break.”
Several of Gunther’s former castmates took to social media Sunday night to share tributes to their former co-star: