Gabe Patillo might not be a name that you know off the top of your head, but Gabe was the guy behind “the guy.” If you were ever around TobyMac at a show, then you met Gabe a.k.a. “GabeReal.” Gabe was Toby’s right-hand man, both on and off stage. When people came to meet Toby, they met Gabe first and Gabe was someone who made everyone feel special. He was the first to greet people with a smile and make sure that their moment with Toby was one they would never forget.

"GabeReal" Gabe Patillo with best friend TobyMac

Sadly, Gabe passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. The world lost a kind and humble man. His wife lost a loving and loyal husband. His kids lost an involved and fun dad. I lost a friend.

Gabe Patillo with his wife and 3 children

I didn’t know anyone when I got to Nashville 17 years ago, and Gabe and I just hit it off. Gabe truly made me laugh like no one else could. I always wanted to do a radio show with him, but I could never pry him away from Toby. Gabe was “old-school” loyal and loved working with Toby despite having the vocal talent to do his own thing. His talent was second only to his humility. Gabe was a servant, who didn’t seek the spotlight so, I was always happy when the spotlight found him.

I had a “That Thing You Do” freak-out moment for Gabe when I first heard him sing the second verse on Ryan Stevenson’s song “Eye of the Storm”! It was so soulful and now I’m glad Gabe’s words are audibly immortalized for his wife and kids to hear:

“When my hopes and dreams are far from me
And I’m runnin’ out of faith
I see the future I pictured slowly fade away
And when the tears of pain and heartache
Are pouring down my face
I find my peace in Jesus’ name”

Gabe was always someone I admired for his faith, and his faith never wavered even during his sickness. In fact, the last time I saw him he gushed about how good God was. Remember, this is a 42-year-old husband and father of three young kids that has been told he doesn’t have a long time left on this earth. Yet, he still emphatically talked about the goodness of God. Yes, he hoped for healing, but more than he wanted God to be glorified through all of this. That was the type of faith Gabe had and that was the type of man he was.

Truth be told, when I first heard Gabe passed I was sad, but in shock more than anything. Then I sat down to write this and the weight of it fully hit me, and I had to stop several times to compose myself. But that is not where I want to leave this, and not how Gabe would want this story to end.

I cannot think about Gabe without hearing his infectious, raspy laugh. We had a very similar sense of humor, and it is what bonded us together, quickly, and sometimes got us into trouble.

Gabe was not only kind, he was the kind of person I wanted to be like. While I will miss him terribly, I am super thankful for the time I got with him and the countless hours of laughter we got to share.

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