LOS ANGELES —
James Michael Tyler, the actor recognized broadly for his recurring function as Gunther on “Pals,” has died. He was 59.
Tyler died Sunday at residence in Los Angeles from prostrate most cancers, stated his supervisor, Toni Benson. Tyler was first recognized with superior prostrate most cancers in 2018.
“The world knew him as Gunther (the seventh `Good friend’), from the hit collection `Pals,’ however Michael’s family members knew him as an actor, musician, cancer-awareness advocate, and loving husband,” Benson wrote in a tribute. “Michael cherished stay music, cheering on his Clemson Tigers, and would usually discover himself in enjoyable and unplanned adventures.”
Tyler had appeared briefly in Nineteen Nineties collection like “Simply Shoot Me!” and “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” earlier than being solid as a background character within the second episodes of “Pals” in 1994. Over the present’s 10-year-run, he grew to become essentially the most regularly recurring visitor star on the collection enjoying Gunther, the Central Perk barista with an unrequited affection for Rachel (Jennifer Aniston).
Tyler was initially solid whereas working as a barista on the Bourgeois Pig espresso store in Los Angeles. He did not have a line of dialogue on “Pals” till he had made 33 appearances on the present, in response to the 2019 e-book, “Era Pals: An Inside Have a look at the Present That Outlined a Tv Period,” by Saul Austerlitz. Over the 236 episodes, Tyler appeared in 150 of them.
Warner Bros. Tv, which produced the hit collection, mourned the loss of life of Tyler, “a beloved actor and integral a part of our `Pals’ household.”
As soon as “Pals” concluded in 2004, Tyler made appearances on “Scrubs,” “Trendy Music” and he performed himself on an episode of Matt LeBlanc’s “Episodes” in 2012.
After being recognized with most cancers, Tyler starred in two quick movies whereas present process remedy and gave a spoken phrase efficiency of the Stephan Kalinich poem “If You Knew” to assist elevate consciousness for the Prostate Most cancers Basis.
Tyler is survived by his spouse, Jennifer Carno.
