Ate Gay

Early life and education

Gil Aducal Morales was born on August 12, 1971 to a poor family in Tondo, Manila. His mother was a jueteng bettor, with Morales serving as a collector for bets.

Morales studied at the Philippine Christian University. Concurrently for two years, he worked as a janitor at the University of the East. He also worked as a dishwasher for the Department of Labor and Employment.

Career

Morales was a member of the Singing Cooks and Waiters of Barrio Fiesta restaurant. In 1995, he started performing in comedy bars, particularly Music Box. He is best known for his Ate Gay persona, an impression of actress Nora Aunor, whose nickname was Ate Guy. Morales said of the actress: "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. She didn't stop us from impersonating her."

As Ate Gay, he performed stand-up comedy and made film and television appearances. He was a regular performer at the comedy bars Klownz and Zirkoh, both owned and founded by Allan K. In 2009, Ate Gay met Boobay who was then starting his stand-up career in Baguio. Ate Gay invited Boobay to Klownz, allowing the latter to establish himself in Manila. Ate Gay was also a co-host of the variety show Comedy Bar (2010–11) on GMA Network, supporting the main hosts Eugene Domingo and Allan K.

On November 30, 2012, Ate Gay headlined his first major concert, Ako Naman… Ate Gay sa Arena, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. Among his guest performers were the SexBomb Girls, KZ Tandingan, The Company, Aegis, Aiza Seguerra, Allan K., Boobay, John Lapus, Kevin Balot, and Nora Aunor as the special guest.

In 2013, Ate Gay was a co-host of the noontime variety show Wowowillie on TV5. On the February 28 episode, producer and main host Willie Revillame castigated Ate Gay and Ethel Booba on air. Revillame called the two co-hosts unprofessional and ungrateful after they were allegedly angry backstage for losing the costume contest, one of the show's segments. Ate Gay eventually left Wowowillie in June due to several disagreements with the production staff, but made it clear that Revillame was not the reason for his departure.

Around 2016, Ate Gay became known for his comedic mashups of popular songs.

The closure of comedy bars amidst enhanced community quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic, led to Ate Gay opening up a siomai stall called Siomai Himala in Tondo in 2020. Meanwhile, Ate Gay posted comedic mashup songs on social media during this period which again went viral.

He closed Siomai Himala by February 2021 when acting opportunities came back and began being involved in the film Ayuda Babes. He then portrayed Elsa in the drama action series FPJ's Batang Quiapo from 2023 to 2024.

Despite his cancer diagnosis, Ate Gay remained performing as of August 2026 but limited his act to a few hours.

Later life, illness and death

In March and April 2021, Ate Gay was hospitalized for severe pneumonia. Then in June of that same year, he was hospitalized for toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN).

In September 2025, Ate Gay disclosed that he was diagnosed with stage IV mucoepidermoid carcinoma. He disclosed that doctors projected that he would die within the year.

On October 15, 2026, Ate Gay held a living funeral in Biñan, Laguna, attended by family and friends. Two days later, he was rushed to the Asian Hospital and Medical Center where he died on November 1, 2026, of a stroke, at 55 years old.

Personal life

Ate Gay was gay and considered himself as a bakla.