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Actor James Michael Tyler, 59, passed away on Sunday, October 24, at his residence in Los Angeles. His character, Gunther, was one of the fans’ favorites in the iconic comedy show Friends.
Earlier this year, James Michael Tyler revealed he had stage four prostate cancer, which he has been battling since 2018. His health was the reason why he didn’t physically attend the reunion episode of Friends this year.
His demise has left fans heartbroken. Although James Michael Tyler’s Gunther was not one of the lead characters of the hit series, his comic timing and acting left a major impact on everyone’s heart. One cannot imagine Friends without Gunther as he was an absolute delight in it.
Even though James Michael Tyler has worked on other projects, the comedy series has been one of his major roles. Let’s celebrate him with some of his memorable moments on Friends.
5 memorable moments of James Michael Tyler as Gunther
1) When Gunther dropped a cup
In one episode, Gunther tries to ask Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) out, but another man makes a move on her. The Central Perk manager loses control of his emotions as he storms off-camera, and the audience can hear loud utensils/crockery breaking and crushing noises. This was one of the best comedy moments by James Michael Tyler's Gunther.
What makes it more interesting is when he returns and says with a poker face:
“I dropped a cup.”
2) Gunther’s Porche response
Joey finds a set of Porche keys on the coffee shop counter and asks Gunther if it belongs to him. With a straight face, he replies:
“Yes, that’s what I drive. I make four bucks an hour. I saved up for 350 years.”
James Michael Tyler’s sarcastic performance on Friends won hearts.
3) "Put the mouse back in the house"
If this didn’t tickle your funny bones, then rewatch Gunther on Friends. In one of the episodes, Phoebe is dating an athlete who likes to put up his legs on the coffee table, exposing a lot to the naked eye.
While Phoebe and her friends find it difficult and awkward to tell the guy, Gunther takes a minute. He delivers a killer line:
“Hey, buddy. This is a family place. Put the mouse back in the house.”
4) Gunther finally confessed his feelings to Rachel
A Friends fan knows how much Gunther adored Rachel. Although he tried several times to confess his love to his crush, he always failed. But in the final episode, the show writers did justice to his character.
Most of the time, whenever Gunther wanted to share his feelings with Rachel, some other guy or Ross would take the spot. In the last episode, when Ross came to stop Rachel from moving to Paris, Gunther took his place and made his move.
He said:
“I know you’re leaving tonight, but I just have to tell you. I love you. I… I don’t know if that changes your plans at all? But I thought you should know.”
This touched Rachel’s heart, and she replied:
“Gunther. Oh, I love you too. Probably not in the same way, but I do. And when I’m in a cafe, having coffee, or I see a man with hair brighter than the sun, I’ll think of you.”
5) Gunther’s punchlines to Ross
Gunther (James Michael Tyler) has always hated Ross for dating Rachel. Actually, he disliked Ross more because he couldn't understand why Rachel liked the dinosaur nerd. Throughout the show, Gunther left fans in splits when he threw punchlines at Ross.
One of the best ones was when Ross came to the coffee house with a diaper packet, and Gunther said that it means Rachel had his baby, and then he continued:
“I can’t even believe she slept with you in the first place.”
Later, one can see him smiling when Ross hurts his hand while arguing with Joey.
Coming back to James Michael Tyler’s real life, he was not just an actor but also a musician and cancer awareness advocate. James Michael Tyler is survived by his wife, Jennifer Carno.
