Remembering Godfrey Gao

We will miss you so much, Godfrey. Rest in peace.


No, this is not another news article on his passing. You can read that everywhere especially that all news sites are competing to get the latest details on it.

Instead, I am writing to share my thoughts as a grieving fan. If you want to know more about Godfrey beyond hundreds of news articles coming out lately and want to know some of his great works, come join me as we remember him in this post.

I have been a fan of Godfrey ever since I entered dramaland back in 2014. Over the course of my stay in this land, I have watched and adored him in all the projects that I have seen him in. This is also coupled with my frustrations of having limited platforms providing English subtitles for some of his notable works (yes, I’m mainly referring to his C-drama, “Remembering Li Chuan”).

Before my exposure to dramaland, I have always heard his name from my best friends who are huge Mortal Instruments fans. I did not mind so much then until I stumbled into his various magazine photo shoots. I mean, have you guys ever seen those? They could totally melt you in seconds.

I jumped on to the Godfrey ship right away without any hesitations and watched all of his available shows online. He was a delight to watch in “Queen of SOP” even though I betrayed him and fell in love with Zhang Han instead (haha!). Even so, that drama was quite evil for having episodes that did not have him in it like what?!!

I wrote about it in my 2014 year-end drama round-up but I placed the same review here:

Full of charm in his first C-drama


Story in a nutshell: Joe Chen is your typical career woman who started from the bottom but because of some twist of fate and her determination, she became very successful. Thanks to Godfrey Gao and Zhang Han’s characters too, she became unstoppable and these two men were also battling to win over her heart.

+: I watched this for Godfrey but ended up falling in love with Hans like omg *heart eyes*. I remember getting irritated with Hans at first because I found it funny that he spoke more English than Godfrey ever did in this drama when the former could hardly do it.  Aside from discovering a new love, I loved the fairytale-like elements in the drama which just made me giggle throughout those episodes. Unlike everyone else, I’m a huge fan of love triangles especially when it isn’t obvious who the first or second lead is and it was exactly the situation here.

: I remember reading the comments about this drama when I started watching it and wondering why everyone thought it became annoying and dragging towards the end. They didn’t lie at all because it was indeed VERY annoying. So many business matters and irrelevant people became involved and you could hardly see Godfrey in many episodes anymore. It really sucks if you were only watching this for him (which was my initial reason).

Overall rating: It became a challenge to watch it with the business politics and all but I still mostly enjoyed it because of the leads and the convenience of having just 30-40 minutes per episode. I gave it a 9.5/10 with parts of the score also went to the beautiful locations. Taipei, Shanghai, and London?!! What more could you ask for?


One drama with Godfrey was definitely not enough for a beginner fan who wanted to see more of him. He did another C-drama the following year which made me laugh all my worries away. I wrote about it in the same article as Queen of SOP and placed it here too:


Story in a nutshell: We get to watch the flat-chested Dodo’s (female lead) journey as she prepares to walk down the aisle with fiancee played by Godfrey Gao. Lots of antagonists including exes, best friends, and in-laws but they’re actually the reason why this is one of the silliest comedy dramas out there!

+: I felt that it was important to describe the female lead being flat-chested because that’s where most of the jokes lie on. When I watched the first episode, I remember asking myself “What the heck am I watching?!!”. Yup, it’s that silly and ridiculous that it makes sense why it’s only a web drama because China would never allow this on TV at all.

Godfrey Gao was such a revelation here, he can actually do comedy and I wish he’d make more because he’s a joy to watch. Despite that, I loved it so much aside from the fact that I love Godfrey because of the story and the quirkiness of all the other characters.

Overall rating: 9.5/10 because no other drama has made me laugh the way I did when I watched this drama. The ending made me crave for more but I love how despite the ridiculousness of this drama, the dynamics of love and marriage between the two leads were evidently seen.


I only got to watch him in one movie, “Say Yes!”, where he had a supporting role and starred with Lin Chiling and Huang Bo.

I remember envying LCL badly for being paired up with him and dating Jerry IRL at the same time!


This film was quite forgettable. It is concrete evidence that I never wrote about it in this blog. His role was basically just the source of the female lead’s heartbreak. It eventually became the main lead’s source of envy (I mean, who wouldn’t?!). Despite my criticisms towards this movie, I still enjoyed watching and squealing over his appearance here.


My greatest Godfrey fan moment was when I bought a magazine with him on the cover when I was on vacation with my family in Singapore four years ago. I tried to look for it but I have packed it already (will be moving soon!). I might just break down when I see it but at least I still have it with me just like how Godfrey will always be in my heart.

It’s been hours since I knew of his passing but I still can’t wrap my head around it. Just to share a bit of a personal story, my cousin who’s just a year older than Godfrey died of similar circumstances just last month. I have yet to get my head understand everything and now I stumbled into this news in the middle of my birthday celebration.

Yes, I am completely outraged over that variety show’s mismanagement. Although I know that no matter what I do, that is never going to get our amazing man back.


I definitely do not know him personally but based on his colleagues’ testimonials, he was nothing but a gentleman who cared so much about everyone. It did not surprise me to read such posts because I just had a feeling that he was exactly how they described him to be. Having many recent experiences of grief, I can only imagine the pain that his loved ones are experiencing right now. May they find peace and comfort at these crucial times.

I wish I have more to say but I just don’t have anything to say anymore. Rest in peace, Godfrey. We all miss you already. Know that many people will remember you for being so pure and kind. You have left such a positive impact in both the showbiz and modeling industries. It will take time for everyone to heal but we will eventually be okay. We love you.