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‘Friends’ actor James Michael Tyler has stage 4 prostate cancer

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Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood

Actor James Michael Tyler, who played Gunther on Friends, has revealed that he’s battling stage 4 prostate cancer.

He shared his diagnosis with NBC’s the Today show on Monday, saying his illness — which has left his lower body paralyzed — kept him from participating in the recent HBO Max Friends reunion in person.

“I was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, which had spread to my bones,” Tyler said. “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.”

The 59-year-old added that the cancer worsened during the pandemic last year.

“I missed going in for a test, which was not a good thing,” he explained. “So the cancer decided to mutate at the time of the pandemic, and so it’s progressed.”

He’s currently undergoing chemotherapy. Tyler encourages men of any age to get screened for a PSA, or prostate-specific antigen test, which can help with early detection.

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