James Michael Tyler, Gunther From ‘Friends’, Passes Away. Jennifer Aniston, Anushka Sharma And More Share Heartfelt Tributes
There are a lot of residents in the friendzone of fictional characters, but perhaps none more iconic than Gunther from Friends. Actor James Michael Tyler, who played the character in the show, in love with Jennifer Aniston’s Rachel Green, was beloved for several reasons, such as his never-changing hair to his quip-backs about the job. But what made him the most relatable was that Gunther could’ve always been one of us fans, an outsider who can see these six friends’ lives unfold before his eyes at Central Perk, love one of them, and covet a place on that orange couch. The 59-year-old actor passed away from prostate cancer, and fans of the show, as well as his costars, have been posting heartfelt tributes to him.
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Did you know that after the six leads of Friends, Gunther was the one with the most appearances on the show? It’s unimaginable, the loss that the cast and crew must’ve felt on his passing. In an official statement, Tyler’s manager said, “The world knew him as Gunther (the seventh Friend)… 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. ….passed away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles on Sunday morning”.
Here’s what the Friends actors posted in remembrance of James Michael Tyler and the character, Gunther, that he played….
Jennifer Aniston (Rachel Green)
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Courteney Cox (Monica Geller)
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Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe Buffay)
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Matt LeBlanc (Joey Tribbiani)
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David Schwimmer (Ross Geller)
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Maggie Wheeler (Janice)
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Back home too, as fans mourned the loss, Anushka Sharma posted about it on her Instagram stories.
Here’s thinking about James with some of our favourite Gunther moments from Friends:
1. When Rachel said this to Gunther and kissed 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 #ripgunther #gunther pic.twitter.com/FkpwYzWEFq
— Fran_tastic1 😚✌🏻 (@Fran_Tastic1) October 24, 2021
2. When he asks for Rachel’s birthday….
Aww #Gunther you will be missed 😢..
Your character was special.. you made us laugh .. your love for Rachel was 😍
Thank you for entertaining us.. 🙏🏻
RIP James Michael Tyler 💐 pic.twitter.com/fHh4F3SwKy
— Aartii (@ImchefAarti) October 25, 2021
3. “Put the mouse back in the house.”
Oh no so sad 🥲🥲 now Gunthers gone to to great coffee house in the sky, I love to think he was the ‘7th Friend’ as he was always at parties… & had some of the funniest lines.. #Friends #Gunther #JamesMichaelTylerRIP pic.twitter.com/LGTC1yvALA
— Natalie Heydon 🇬🇧🇪🇺🇺🇦 (@ginger_nats) October 24, 2021
4. When Chandler didn’t know Gunther’s last name….
Thank you for all the memories Sir. The seventh friend will be missed. RIP🤍 #Gunther #Friends pic.twitter.com/6OZ3pMx7hu
— anashuya.d (@ayuhsana) October 25, 2021
5. When Ross tried to speak Dutch to Gunther, and failed….
One of my fav lines from his character Gunther 😂 #Friends #Gunther
❤🕯 pic.twitter.com/JKUHRVox6p— Yas'🍀 (@mixer_wasabii) October 25, 2021
Rest in peace, James Michael Tyler. You’ll be missed!