'Friends' Alum James Michael Tyler Dead At 59 After Battle With Prostate Cancer

James Michael Tyler, best known for playing supporting character Gunther on "Friends," has died after a battle with cancer. He was 59.

Tyler passed away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles Sunday, his rep confirmed in a statement to Entertainment Tonight. He had been diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer.

"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," his manager said in a statement obtained by E! News. "Michael loved live music, cheering on his Clemson Tigers, and would often find himself in fun and unplanned adventures. If you met him once you made a friend for life."

Tyler is survived by his wife Jennifer Carno, who is "the love of his life, ever united in good times, in sickness, and for eternity," according to the actor's manager.

Tyler was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018. Despite his illness, he made an appearance via Zoom on "Friends: The Reunion," which aired on HBO Max in May.

The actor played Central Perk manager Gunther, who had a crush on Jennifer Aniston's Rachel on the sitcom. The show's titular friends spent most of their time at the coffee shop when not in their apartments. Tyler appeared in 150 episodes of the beloved sitcom.

"I wanted to be a part of that, and initially I was going to be on the stage, at least, with them, and be able to take part in all the festivities. It was bittersweet, honestly," he said of the reunion during an interview on the "Today" show in June.

He continued, "I was very happy to be included. It was my decision not to be a part of that physically and make an appearance on Zoom, basically, because I didn't wanna bring a downer on it, you know? I didn't want to be like, 'Oh, and by the way, Gunther has cancer.'"

During the interview, Tyler also spoke about his condition, revealing that his cancer was not caught early and that he'd been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, which had spread to his bones, in September 2018.

He shared that he was placed on a hormone therapy that "worked amazingly" for a year. However, he missed going in for a test during the pandemic, which didn't help his condition.

Tyler, who was still undergoing chemotherapy at the time, said cancer "progressed" and spread throughout his body, and he suffered fractures in his bones and tumors up and down his spine. It eventually led to paraplegia, or paralysis of the lower body.

He decided to share his diagnosis to encourage others to get early screenings and to "help save at least one life by coming out with this news."

Aside from "Friends," Tyler also appeared in other TV shows including "Just Shoot Me!," "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," "Scrubs," "Episodes" and "Modern Music."

Tyler continued to act even while undergoing cancer treatment. He appeared in two short films, "The Gesture and the Word" and "Processing," according to his manager.

Earlier this year, Tyler's spoken word performance of Stephen Kalinich's poem "If You Knew" was also adapted into a short video to raise awareness for the Prostate Cancer Foundation.