Jennifer Aniston Posted An Emotional 'Friends' IG To Honor Gunther's Death
Rest in peace, James Michael Tyler.
On Oct. 24, actor James Michael Tyler died following a battle with stage 4 prostate cancer. According to a statement from his manager, Toni Benson, the 59-year-old Friends star, who played the recurring character Gunther throughout the series, passed away “peacefully” at his Los Angeles home on Sunday morning. "The world knew him as Gunther (the seventh Friend)," Benson said. "But Michael's loved ones knew him as an actor, musician, cancer-awareness advocate, and loving husband.” After hearing what happened, Tyler’s Friends co-stars took to social media to pay tribute to him. Jennifer Aniston's reaction to James Michael Tyler's death was so sad.
Aniston honored Tyler on Instagram by writing, “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 💔.”
Along with her message, Aniston shared a scene from the series finale of Friends, during which Tyler’s character, Gunther, finally confessed his love to Aniston’s character, Rachel, after having a crush on her the entire series. The actress also posted a shot of Tyler in character as Gunther on Instagram. See Aniston’s tribute to Tyler below.
Friends star Courteney Cox also paid her respects to Tyler on Instagram. “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. ♥,” she wrote.
Lisa Kudrow paid tribute to Tyler with an emotional post as well. “James Michael Tyler, we will miss you. Thank you for being there for us all. #jamesmichealtyler,” she wrote.
“We had a lot of laughs buddy. You will be missed. RIP my friend,” Matt LeBlanc wrote on his own IG, alongside two photos of Tyler, one of which involved a scene of Gunther and LeBlanc’s Friends character, Joey.
David Schwimmer also remembered Tyler on IG, writing, “James, thank you for playing such a wonderful, unforgettable role in Friends and for being such a big hearted gentleman and all around mensch off screen. You will be missed, buddy. #JamesMichaelTyler.”
Finally, Matthew Perry commemorated Tyler on Twitter. “We lost a good Friend yesterday in James Michael Tyler. Gunther, you will be missed. Read in Peace,” he wrote.
Tyler will always be remembered by his friends, family, and of course, countless fans across the world.
