| Interment Location | Visited | |
|---|---|---|
| Hollywood, CA | April 1, 2023 |
It might not be as comfy as the Central Perk couch, but visitors to Hollywood Forever Cemetery can sit on a stone bench at the grave of James Michael Tyler. The Mississippi-born actor’s most famous role was as the bleached-haired barista, Gunther, on the hit NBC sitcom Friends. “How would I describe Gunther?” Tyler said upon the show’s 25th anniversary in 2019. “I would say Gunther’s a nice guy. He’s a very shy guy. Inexperienced in the ways of love. But a good soul — a good heart, deep down, for everyone except Ross,” one of the program’s six eponymous comrades.
Fast Facts
Born: May 28, 1962 in Mississippi
Spouses: Barbara Chadsey (m. 1995-2014); Jennifer Carno (m. 2017-2021)
Died: October 24, 2021 in Los Angeles, California
Cause of Death: Stage IV Prostate Cancer
Age: 59
Interment: Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
"Well the best thing about working with the other actors on the show were the chemistry between them. And the professionalism was just so... almost indescribable. The first episode that I walked on, first season, they seemed like they'd known each other for years. And they already had their characters so well-developed... from the pilot?! And that's unheard of. And it was just a joy to go in every week -- never felt like I was going to work. It was more like going to kinda play with your friends."
- James Michael Tyler
September 2019, in an interview segment recorded for Today
