The news of his diagnosis came after Tyler appeared virtually on the HBO Max Friends reunion special, which premiered in May. RELATED VIDEO: The Friends Cast Is the Ultimate Cast Goals: "We're Connected No Matter What" He said he hopes to "help save at least one life by coming out with this news" and encouraged people to get a PSA screening, which is a prostate-specific antigen test, to detect the disease early on. Up until his death, Tyler advocated for greater awareness and education regarding prostate cancer, emphasizing on Today that the illness is "easily treatable" if it's caught early. Tyler also explained that he was placed on a hormone therapy that "worked amazingly" for a year or so, but "right at the time of the pandemic" last year the cancer "progressed" and spread throughout his body, affecting his spine, which led to paralysis of his lower body. So eventually, you know, it's gonna probably get me," Tyler shared on Today, noting at the time that he was undergoing chemotherapy. "I've been dealing with that diagnosis for almost the past three years. Tyler, who famously starred on Friends for ten years across 150 episodes - and whose character was even included as the seventh Friend in the 2019 LEGO set that featured the iconic coffee shop where he worked - revealed his cancer diagnosis for the first time in mid-June, about three years after his treatment began in 2018. Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday? Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday. "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," he wrote alongside the post. Schwimmer, 54, meanwhile, also shared the same headshot of Tyler as his former castmates. RIP my friend," alongside two shots - including one of him conversing with Tyler on the set of the popular NBC sitcom series.
In his own remembrance, LeBlanc, 54, said, "We had a lot of laughs buddy. RELATED: Friends' James Michael Tyler Dead at 59 Following Stage 4 Prostate Cancer Diagnosisįellow Friends stars Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer also paid tribute to Tyler with sentimental posts on social media as well. "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," she wrote.
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Never miss a story - sign up for PEOPLE 's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Ĭourteney Cox also honored Tyler, sharing the same headshot of him from the set of Friends alongside a kind message. The clip that Aniston, 52, shared came from Friends' series finale, where Tyler's Gunter confessed his love for Aniston's Rachel, bringing an end to the long-running gag about his crush on her that was featured throughout the show.
You will be so missed #JamesMichaelTyler ?."įor more on James Michael Tyler and other top stories, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day. "Thank you for the laughter you brought to the show and to all of our lives. "Friends would not have been the same without you," the actress wrote, posting a scene from an episode of Friends, as well as a headshot of Tyler's character on the series. Shortly after news of Tyler's death was made public, Jennifer Aniston paid tribute to the late actor - who played Central Perk barista Gunther on the hit show - with a sweet message on Instagram. James Michael Tyler is being remembered by his former Friends costars after he died following a battle with stage 4 prostate cancer on Sunday.