Friends: Gunther’s translator announced that he has stage 4 cancer

James Michael Tyler, who played Gunther, Central Perk servant and Rachel’s lover Frozen on the Friends series, announced the bad news: He has stage 4 cancer.

“It’s advanced-stage cancer…it’s probably going to take me away,” he revealed Monday, June 21 in a touching interview to The Today Show, NBC Morning.

The 59-year-old actor suffers from prostate cancer, which was discovered during a routine examination in 2018. His health has particularly deteriorated during the coronavirus pandemic. “I failed the control exam, which was not a good thing. And the disease progressed.” It is now believed that his cancer reached the bones and spine, leaving him with a paraplegic.

call for prevention

That’s why he couldn’t continue on the set of the series Friends reunion, which aired a few weeks ago on HBO Max (and to see June 24 on TF1). He explained before I continued, “I wanted to participate and in the beginning, I had to at least be on set with them in order to participate in these festivities.” It was my decision to not be physically present and to step in via Zoom because I didn’t want to spoil the vibe like “Oh and by the way, Gunther has cancer”. “

James Michael Tyler took the opportunity to invite the public to be tested in order to detect the disease as quickly as possible, giving early detection a better chance of a cure. “Last year my goal was to reach my 59th birthday. I nailed it. My goal now is to help save at least one life.”