‘Friends’ actor James Michael Tyler, who played Central Perk waiter Gunther, has revealed his stage four prostate cancer diagnosis.
The 59-year-old was diagnosed in September 2018 after a routine check-up.
The actor, who is undergoing therapy, cannot walk anymore after the cancer had spread to his bones.
"Eventually, you know, it's gonna probably get me," he said during an interview with NBC's Today show.
"I was 56 years old at the time, and they screen for PSA, which is prostate-specific antigen. That came back at an extraordinarily high number... so I knew immediately when I went online and I saw the results of my blood test and blood work that there was obviously something quite wrong there.”
"Nearly immediately, my doctor called me and said, 'Hey, I need you to come in tomorrow because I suspect that you may have quite a serious problem with your prostate.'"
After missing a test due to the ongoing pandemic, he later learned that he had stage 4 prostate cancer.
Actor James Michael Tyler (@slate_michael) played Gunther on “Friends” for 10 years, but he was unable to attend the recent cast reunion in person because he’s been battling a serious health issue. Now he’s sharing his news for the first time with @craigmelvin. pic.twitter.com/272tg4Sbvc
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 21, 2021
"There are other options available to men if they catch it before me," he said while urging other men of his age group to get themselves checked.
The Gunther actor made a Zoom appearance during the recent Friends reunion special episode. "It was the most memorable 10 years of my life, honestly," he reminisced.
"I could not have imagined just a better experience. All these guys were fantastic and just a joy to work with. It felt very, very special."
The actor revealed that other cast members of the show were aware of his diagnosis for some time. However, Tyler did not want to announce his diagnosis during the reunion episode.
When asked if he had any regrets, Tyler replied: "I would have listened to my wonderful wife - who has been my absolute strength throughout all of this. And I would've gone in earlier and it would've been hopefully caught earlier."
