‘Friends’ Actor James Michael Tyler Dies At 59

Reoccuring Friends background actor James Michael Tyler has died from prostate cancer at the age of 59.

Tyler played the barista Gunther on the show, appearing in several fan-favorite episodes.

Gunther was the most frequently reoccurring background character in the show, appearing in 150 of the show’s 235 episodes. He was involved in a running gag – he has a crush on Rachel, who does not reciprocate his feelings.

Tyler had graduated with a master’s from the University of Georgia in 1987 and moved to Los Angeles to try and enter show business, where he ended up working as a barista at the Bourgeois Pig coffee shop.

He ended up being cast as an extra for $55 a day until he was promoted to his minor part after the producers found out he knew how to operate a coffee machine and had acting experience.

He went on to appear in Scrubs and Modern Music.