Ate Gay died on same day he was supposed to start his career in 1995

At 55, Gil Aducal Morales, popularly known as “Ate Gay,” had built a name in Philippine show business based on sheer grit and distinctive talent to make people laugh with his seamless mash-ups, earning a spot in the hearts of thousands of Filipinos, both here and abroad.

He was 24 when he first ventured into comedy bars. Last year, he celebrated his 30th year in an entertainment industry he had repeatedly professed to love dearly.

READ: Ate Gay’s wake open to public; burial set for Nov. 10

Article continues after this advertisement

In March last year, just months before he was diagnosed with an advanced stage of mucoepidermoid squamous cell carcinoma, a rare type of cancer, Ate Gay recalled in an interview with radio personalities Papa Dudut and Papa Marky that his career as a comic standup was supposed to have begun on Nov. 1, 1995, at Music Box.

FEATURED STORIES

ENTERTAINMENT

ENTERTAINMENT

ENTERTAINMENT

“Sabi roon sa Music Box, pumunta ka rito…Nov. 1, pagdating ko ng Nov. 1, sumabit pa ako sa dyip, dala-dala ko ‘yong costume ko…tapos sarado,” he said.

Ate Gay returned a week later and officially began working at the well-known sing-along and comedy bar in Quezon City.

He also recalled how the late comedian Chokoleit, who had already been working there, was reportedly furious with him because he did not know how to engage in banter.

Before making a career in comedy, Ate Gay had a stint with The Singing Cooks and Waiters, a group of kitchenstaff and waitservers at a popular chain of restaurants known for their live musical performances while serving their customers.

Article continues after this advertisement

But performing was already in his blood. After embracing his new life as a standup comedian, he did not mind walking the entire stretch of Timog Avenue — then Quezon City’s busiest and liveliest events district — costumes tucked under his arms as he went knocking on bar doors, hoping to land a gig for the night. He gave a new meaning to the word “bar-hopping.”

If he was lucky, he would dress up impersonating female performers.

Article continues after this advertisement

Although his initial attempts proved unsuccessful, he eventually found his break through a song close to his heart: “Kahit Konting Awa,” from The Flor Contemplacion Story, starring his idol, the late National Artist Nora Aunor, who died in 2025.

“Pagdating ko sa Music Box, nakita ko ang daming tao. Kumanta ako ng Flor Contempacion. ‘Yon, Noranian ‘yong may-ari kaya pinabalik ako (When I arrived at Music Box, I saw that there were so many people. I sang the song from Flor Contemplacion. The owner was a Noranian, so I was asked to come back),” he said.

Ate Gay would then begin his long career of famously impersonating Aunor, who was known in show business as “Ate Guy.” During Aunor’s wake at the Heritage chapels, Ate Gay led fans into singing some of the veteran star’s songs.

Three decades after that fateful day on Timog Avenue, Ate Gay passed away, succumbing to a disease that had sidelined him for more han a year.

The beloved comedian died after spending several days in the hospital due to septic shock and acute respiratory failure secondary to pneumonia, as well as a stroke.

He wake is being held at Forest Lake in Biñan, Laguna, where the public may pay their respects from Wednesday, Nov. 4, through Sunday, Nov. 8.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.

He is scheduled to be laid to rest on Tuesday, Nov. 10. /edv