German Molina Moreno, who is one of the legendary entertainment icons in the Philippines, died of cardiac arrest at 3:20 a.m. on Jan. 8, Friday, at St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City, Philippines. He was 72.
In a statement sent to GMA News Online, Moreno's nephew John Nite said, "He passed on in the company of his family and friends. He lived a full life, touched so many hearts through the years, and helped make dreams come true for most of the biggest stars in the Philippine entertainment industry."
"We are deeply saddened by his passing but we are comforted by the thought that his legacy will live on," added Nite, who is also a co-host of his late uncle's late-night TV show "Walang Tulogan with the Master Showman" on GMA in the Philippines.
Moreno was born to his Filipino-Spanish father Jose Moreno y Calvo and Filipino mother Aurora Molina on Oct. 4, 1933 in Santa Cruz, Manila, Philippines. She had one sister named Pilar Moreno Nite.
Also known as Master Showman and Kuya Germs, Moreno rose to fame during the 1980s as an actor, TV host and talent manager in the Philippines. Before becoming one of the most respected Filipino entertainment icons, he started as a janitor and a curtain raiser of Clover Theater in Manila and pursued a career as a comedian of the bodabil stage and the post-war screen.
In the late 1970s, Moreno became host of the Sunday noontime variety show titled "GMA Supershow," which is considered his biggest break on Philippine TV. He continued as the producer and host of the youth-oriented variety show titled "That's Entertainment" and eventually became the host of show "Walang Tulogan with the Master Showman."
One of the most successful alumni of "That's Entertainment" is Billy Crawford, who considers Moreno as his father. In 2003, Crawford won the International Male Artist of the Year award at the NRJ Music Awards in Cannes, France, beating Robbie Williams, who recently bought a $32 million mansion in Beverly Hills, California, TMZ reported.
In 2005, Moreno founded the Eastwood City Walk of Fame in Quezon City, which is the Philippine version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California.
On Jan. 2, 2015, Moreno suffered a mild stroke. Soon after, his adoptive son Federico Moreno announced that his condition improved. On Feb. 6, 2015, the late "Walang Tulogan with the Master Showman" host took to Twitter, which was also his last tweet, to thank his supporters.
