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James Michael Tyler, who played Gunther on 'Friends,' dies at 59

James Michael Tyler, known widely for his recurring role as Gunther on “Friends,” died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles from prostate cancer.
Credit: Carlo Allegri/Invision/AP
FILE - American actor James Michael Tyler poses for a portrait on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012, in New York. Tyler, the actor known widely for his recurring role as Gunther on “Friends,” died Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021, at his home in Los Angeles from prostate cancer. He was 59. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Invision/AP, File)

LOS ANGELES — James Michael Tyler, the actor, known widely for his recurring role as Gunther on "Friends," has died. He was 59. 

Tyler died Sunday at home in Los Angeles from prostate cancer, said his manager, Toni Benson.

Tyler was first diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in 2018. 

Tyler had appeared briefly in 1990s series like "Just Shoot Me!" and "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" before being cast as a background character in the second episode of "Friends" in 1994. 

Over the show's multi-year run, he became the most frequently recurring guest star on the series playing Gunther, the Central Perk worker with an unrequited affection for Jennifer Aniston's Rachel.

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