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Friends star James Michael Tyler reveals he’s battling stage four cancer

Friends star James Michael Tyler has revealed he’s battling stage four cancer.

The actor, who played Gunther in the popular sitcom, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018.

Speaking on the TODAY show, the 59-year-old said: “I’m here to let you know that in September of 2018, I was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, which had spread to my bones.”

 

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“I’ve been dealing with that diagnosis for almost the past three years. … It’s stage 4 (now). Late stage cancer. So eventually, you know, it’s gonna probably get me.”

James revealed he couldn’t attend the Friends reunion, which aired on HBO Max earlier this month, in person due to his diagnosis – so he attended the event via video call instead.

“I wanted to be a part of that, and initially I was going to be on the stage, at least, with them, and be able to take part in all the festivities,” he said.

“It was bittersweet, honestly. I was very happy to be included. It was my decision not to be a part of that physically and make an appearance on Zoom, basically, because I didn’t wanna bring a downer on it, you know? … I didn’t want to be like, ‘Oh, and by the way, Gunther has cancer.'”

James said he is hoping to “save just one life” by telling his story.

“That’s my only reason for coming out like this and letting people know. That’s my new role,” he explained.

“A lot of men, if they catch this early, it’s easily treatable. I don’t want people to have to go through what I’ve been going through. This is not … an easy process.”

“Don’t give up. Keep fighting. Keep yourself as light as possible. And have goals. Set goals,” he urged. “My goal this past year was to see my 59th birthday. I did that, May 28th. My goal now is to help save at least one life by coming out with this news.”

 

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