James Michael Tyler, or more famously known as Gunther from tv show Friends, has passed away from cancer at 59. 

Tyler was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer back in 2018. After receiving the diagnosis, he became an advocate for others like him. During the “Friends” reunion in early 2021, Tyler chose to attend virtually as not to bring anyone down with sadness over his appearance. He wanted to keep his virtual appearance light-hearted and short. 

Tyler continued acting through his treatment and starred in two short films, “The Gesture and the Word” and “Processing.” He is survived by his wife, Jennifer Carno, who is described as the love of his life by Tyler’s manager, Toni Benson. 

His former co-stars and “Friends” paid tribute to his tragic passing on social media late Sunday. 

“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.” Said Courtney Cox via Instagram. 

Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe, said, “Thank you for being there for us all” in her emotional Instagram post. 

“We had a lot of laughs, buddy. You will be missed,” said co-star Matt Leblanc who is more famously known for playing Joey Tribiani with the iconic catchphrase, “how you doin’.”

Tyler’s “unique spirit” got him cast on the show in 1994 as a recurring character as in the beginning, he was set to be only an extra. The nostalgic show’s creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane said in a statement Sunday Tyler was a “genuinely kind, and sweet man.” 

In the tv show, Tyler played Gunther, the sarcastic general manager of Central Park. He served coffee to the group every morning while fighting his unreturned crush on Rachel Greene, played by Jennifer Anniston. His adorable adoration over Rachel was one of his best personality traits. One of his funniest moments was during a scene where Rachel proposed to former boyfriend Joshua, who declined her proposal so naturally, Gunther yells, “You Idiot.” 

Another top moment for him was when Joey found Porsche keys in the coffee shop and asked Gunther if they were his. His response caused an eruption of laughter. “Yes, that’s what I drive. I make four bucks an hour. I saved up for 350 years.” Gunther said sarcastically. 

He would often make the audience burst into laughter with his awkward entrances and short lines that never failed to deliver the humor. 

Earlier this year, during an interview with Today, Tyler opened up about his struggle with cancer. “I was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, which had spread to my bones. “I’ve been dealing with that diagnosis for almost the past three years. … It’s stage 4 (now). Late-stage cancer. So eventually, you know, it’s gonna probably get me.”

Prostate cancer is a deadly form of cancer that has claimed the lives of 34,130 men this year alone. 

Tyler starred in 150 episodes of the iconic show, and his character will never be forgotten.