James Michael Tyler: 'Friends' Actor Famous for Playing Gunther Succumbs to Cancer Aged 59
- Friends actor James Michael Tyler passed away on Sunday morning after a long battle with prostate cancer
- The late actor's family said they knew him as an actor, musician, loving husband and cancer awareness advocate
- The deceased was diagnosed with cancer back in 2018 but decided to keep it a private matter until 2021
PAY ATTENTION: Follow Briefly News on Twitter and never miss the hottest topics! Find us at @brieflyza!
Actor James Michael Tyler, known for playing Gunther on the sitcom Friends, has passed away after a long battle with cancer.
Source: Getty Images
According to sources who spoke to TMZ, James passed away peacefully on the morning of Sunday, 24 October at his Los Angeles, US home.
The renowned thespian was battling Stage 4 prostate cancer at the time of his passing at the age of 59. TMZ reports that his family confirmed the news, noting that the world knew him as Gunther (the 'seventh friend') from the sitcom.
However, his family knew him as an actor, musician, loving husband and cancer awareness advocate.
PAY ATTENTION: Never miss breaking news – join Briefly News' Telegram channel!
They noted that James loved live music, cheering on his football team Clemson Tigers, and had a soft spot for adventures.
Battle with cancer
James left many fans stunned after revealing in early 2021 that he was battling cancer, something he had kept hidden even after appearing on the Friends reunion special.
He later noted that he felt no need to 'spoil' the reunion moment with his cancer diagnosis, hence not going public at the time. He had actually kept the secret for three years as he was first diagnosed in 2018 but decided to keep it private.
The actor starred in 150 episodes of the sitcom Friends over the show's 10-year run on TV. He was undoubtedly many fans' favourite.
He also appeared on several other shows, including Scrubs, Modern Music, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Just Shoot Me.
He is survived by his wife, Jennifer Carno.
Snoop Dogg mourns mum's passing
In other sad news, hip hop legend Snoop Dogg is in mourning following the demise of his mother, Beverly Tate, who died aged 70. The rapper, whose official name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr, shared the heartbreaking news alongside a host of emotional tributes.
He posted different throwback photos of himself with his mother with different captions accentuating the gap he's dealing with.
In one of them, he thanked the late for having brought him to the world while the other thanked God for giving him an angel.
Source: Briefly News
Denika Herbst (Editor) Denika Herbst is a Human Interest writer at Briefly News. She is also an Industrial Sociologist with a master's degree in Industrial Organisational and Labour Studies from the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, which she completed in 2020. She is now a PhD candidate at UKZN. Denika has over five years of experience writing for Briefly News (joined in 2018), and a short time writing for The South African. You can reach her via: denika.herbst@briefly.co.za.
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
