‘You will be missed’: Friends cast lead tributes to co-star Tyler, 59

THE stars of Friends today led tributes to the actor James Michael Tyler, who played coffee shop manager Gunther in the US sitcom, following his death at the age of 59.

Tyler died at his home in Los Angeles yesterday after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, his representatives said.

The star was beloved by millions of fans for his portrayal of the quirky Central Perk manager who possessed a head of bleached hair and an unrequited love for Jennifer Aniston’s Rachel.

Aniston shared an Instagram post which included a photo of Tyler from the set and a clip of the pair in the final episode as Gunther declares his love for Rachel before being let down gently.

“Friends would not have been the same without you,” she wrote in the caption. “Thank you for the laughter you brought to the show and to all of our lives. You will be so missed.”

Co-star Courteney Cox wrote: “The size of gratitude you brought into the room and showed every day on set is the size of the gratitude I hold for having known you. Rest in peace, James.”

Matt LeBlanc shared a still of the pair either side of Central Perk’s counter. “We had a lot of laughs buddy,” he wrote. “You will be missed. RIP my friend.” Lisa Kudrow added: “We will miss you. Thank you for being there for us all.”

Tyler revealed in June he had prostate cancer, telling a US TV show he was diagnosed with an advanced form of the disease in 2018 which had spread to his bones.

In a statement announcing his death, Tyler’s representatives said: “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 ... if you met him once you made a friend for life.”

Tyler was dubbed by many fans as the “seventh Friend” due to his ubiquity on the series. As well as playing Gunther, Tyler’s other TV roles included teen sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch and medical comedy Scrubs.

Kevin S Bright, an executive producer on Friends, also paid tribute following the death, saying: “James Michael Tyler... passed away last night. He was an incredible person who spent his final days helping others. God bless you James, Gunther lives forever.”

In 2021, Tyler’s spoken word performance of Stephen Kalinich’s poem If You Knew was adapted into a short video to raise awareness for the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Tyler is survived by his wife, Jennifer Carno.