Ate Gay

Gil Aducal Morales was born on 12 August 1971 in Manila, Philippines. Before he found fame as a comedian he worked as a member of the Singing Cooks and Waiters of the Barrio Fiesta restaurant, a group of staff who entertained diners with songs, an early stage for the singing that later became central to his act.

In 1995 Morales began performing in comedy bars, particularly Music Box. He built his career on the Ate Gay persona, an impression of the actress and singer Nora Aunor, whose nickname was Ate Guy. He said: "I became a fan of Nora Aunor when I started working. I'm very grateful to her. She was supportive of her impersonators. She was not selfish."

As Ate Gay he performed stand-up comedy and appeared in film and on television, and he became a regular at the comedy bars Klownz and Zirkoh, owned by the comedian Allan K. In 2009 he met the comedian Boobay, who was starting out in Baguio, and invited him to Klownz, which helped Boobay establish himself in Manila. From 2010 to 2011 he co-hosted the GMA variety show Comedy Bar with Eugene Domingo and Allan K.

On 30 November 2012 he headlined his first major concert, Ako Naman... Ate Gay sa Arena, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. Guests included the SexBomb Girls, KZ Tandingan, Aegis, Aiza Seguerra, Allan K., Boobay and John Lapus, with Nora Aunor as special guest.

In 2013 he co-hosted the TV5 noontime variety show Wowowillie. After host Willie Revillame criticised him and Ethel Booba on air in February that year, he stayed with the show until June, when he left over disagreements with the production staff, saying Revillame was not the reason. From 2023 to 2024 he played Elsa in the action drama series Batang Quiapo. He was also widely known for his comedic mashups of popular songs.

Morales was open about his health. In March and April 2021 he was hospitalised for severe pneumonia, and in June that year he was treated for toxic epidermal necrolysis, a rare and serious skin reaction. In September 2025 he disclosed that he had stage 4 mucoepidermoid carcinoma and that doctors expected him to die within the year. By November 2025 he said he had finished radiation and chemotherapy, and in June 2026 he said the lumps on his neck and nose were gone.

In October 2026 he held a living funeral, a celebration of life with family and friends, at Forest Lake Memorial Park in Biñan, Laguna.

On 17 October 2026, two days after his living funeral, Morales was rushed to the emergency room of Asian Hospital and Medical Center because of difficulty breathing. His family said doctors found septic shock and acute respiratory failure secondary to pneumonia, and he was admitted to intensive care. He overcame the initial septic shock, but on 29 October he suffered a stroke that damaged the right side of his brain, and he remained on life support. His family appealed for prayers and financial help and asked the public not to spread false reports of his death.

He died on Sunday 1 November 2026, aged 55. In a statement on his Facebook account, signed The Family of Gil Aducal Morales, his relatives said that after bravely fighting for his life, and surrounded by his family, he had peacefully passed away. They thanked everyone for their prayers, love, financial assistance and support, and said wake and funeral arrangements would be announced. His death was reported by GMA News, ABS-CBN, The Manila Times and PhilSTAR Life.

Ate Gay is remembered as one of the defining performers of the Manila comedy bar scene of the 1990s and 2000s, an impersonator whose tribute to Nora Aunor was warm enough that Aunor herself appeared at his arena concert. He helped open doors for younger comedians, notably Boobay, and brought comedy bar humour to national television through Comedy Bar and Wowowillie. His frankness about cancer, and the living funeral he held weeks before his death, drew wide public affection in his final year.