The stars of ''Friends'' are paying tribute to their former co-star James Michael Tyler, who died Sunday at age 59. He had prostate cancer.
Shortly after news of his death broke, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry and others took to social media to honor his memory.
''Friends would not have been the same without you,'' Aniston wrote in an Instagram post that included a video clip from an episode of the hit 1990s sitcom.
In the show, Tyler played Gunther, the owner of Central Perk coffeehouse, where the gang gathered. Gunther was famously in love with Aniston's character, Rachel Green.
''Thank you for the laughter you brought to the show and to all of our lives. You will be so missed,'' Aniston concluded.
''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,'' Cox wrote in her own Instagram post. ''Rest In peace James.''
In a separate post, Lisa Kudrow wrote, ''James Michael Tyler, we will miss you. Thank you for being there for us all,'' while Matthew Perry added, ''We lost a good Friend yesterday in James Michael Tyler. Gunther, you will be missed. Read [sic] in Peace.''
David Schwimmer also remembered Tyler on Instagram.
''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,'' he wrote.
''We had a lot of laughs buddy,'' added Matt LeBlanc. ''You will be missed. RIP my friend.''
Tyler's family revealed his death in a statement to TMZ, explaining that he died peacefully in his Los Angeles home on Sunday morning.
''The world knew him as Gunther (the seventh 'Friend'), from the hit series 'Friends,' but Michael's loved ones knew him as an actor, musician, cancer-awareness advocate, and loving husband,'' the statement read.
Five months before his death, Tyler shared that he had stage 4 prostate cancer.
''I was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, which had spread to my bones,'' Tyler told ''Today'' at the time. ''I've been dealing with that diagnosis for almost the past three years ... It's stage 4 [now]. Late-stage cancer. So eventually, you know, it's going to probably get me.''
The actor went on to admit that his main goal was to see his 59th birthday, which he celebrated in May. His next goal was ''to help save at least one life by coming out with this news.''
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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