Jennifer Aniston Leads Emotional Tributes To James Michael Tyler Following His Death
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Jennifer Aniston and her fellow Friends stars have paid tribute James Michael Tyler, who played Gunther on the show, and who died yesterday, October 24, at the age of 59.
Tyler passed away on Sunday morning at his home in Los Angeles, his manager confirmed. In 2018, Tyler had been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, which eventually spread to his bones.
In the hit US sitcom, Tyler played the role of Central Perk’s loveable barista, Gunther, who had a crush on Jennifer Aniston’s Rachel.
Aniston has since taken to social media to pay tribute to the star.
Posting on Instagram, Aniston shared a clip from an episode of Friends, in which Gunther professes his love to Rachel and she turns him down. Rachel’s final words to Gunther can be heard in the video, where she tells him: ‘When I’m in a café, having coffee, or I see a man with hair brighter than the sun, I’ll think of you.’
Alongside the clip, Aniston captioned:
Friends would not have been the same without you. Thank you for the laughter you brought to the show and to all of our lives. You will be so missed #JamesMichaelTyler.
In a statement, via BBC News, Tyler’s manager said the star ‘passed away peacefully’ at his home. ‘If you met him once you made a friend for life. [He] is survived by his wife, Jennifer Carno, the love of his life,’ it read.
His manager said Tyler had wanted ‘to help as many people as possible, he bravely shared his story and became a campaigner for those with a prostate to get a […] blood test as early as 40 years old’.
Other tributes for the actor have also come from his fellow co-stars, with Lisa Kudrow taking to Instagram to state: ‘James Michael Tyler, we will miss you. Thank you for being there for us all. #jamesmichealtyle.’
Alongside posting the same image, 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 posted a pair of images, one of himself alongside the actor on set, and wrote: ‘We had a lot of laughs buddy. You will be missed. RIP my friend.’
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677
Topics: Film and TV, Courteney Cox, Friends, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow
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Jennifer Aniston/Instagram and 1 otherJennifer Aniston/Instagram
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