'Friends' stars react to James Michael Tyler's death: 'Thank you for the laughter'

Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Stars of Friends including Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox, paid homage to co-star James Michael Tyler on social media following his death.

Tyler, who famously portrayed barista Gunther on the series, died at the age of 59 on Sunday following a battle with prostate cancer.

Tyler appeared virtually for the Friends reunion special in May and also starred in Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Scrubs, Modern Music, The Gesture and the Word and Processing.

Aniston, who starred as Rachel, uploaded to Instagram a clip of Tyler's Gunther telling Rachel that he loved her from an episode of Friends.

"Friends would not have been the same without you. Thank you for the laughter you brought to the show and to all of our lives. You will be so missed," Aniston said.

Cox, who portrayed Monica, posted to Instagram a photo of Tyler from the Friends set that other co-stars used.

"The size of gratitude you brought into the room and showed every day on set is the size of gratitude I hold for having known you. Rest in peace James," Cox said.

Matt LeBlanc, who starred as Joey, posted a photo of Joey speaking with Gunther at the coffee shop Gunther worked at, Central Perk.

"We had a lot of laughs buddy. You will be missed. RIP my friend," LeBlanc said.

David Schwimmer, who portrayed Ross, and Lisa Kudrow, who portrayed Phoebe, also paid homage to Tyler.

"James, thank you for playing such a wonderful, unforgettable role in Friends and for being such a big hearted gentleman and all around mensch off screen. You will be missed, buddy," Schwimmer said on Instagram.

"James Michael Tyler, we will miss you. Thank you for being there for us all," Kudrow said.

Friends co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane paid tribute to Tyler through a joint statement.

"James was a genuinely kind, sweet man. When he started as an extra on Friends, his unique spirit caught our eye and we knew we had to make him a character. He made Gunther's unrequited love incredibly relatable. Our heart goes out to his wife, Jennifer Carno," Kauffman and Crane said.