Lata Walpola, the Nightingale of Sri Lanka, passes away.

Deshamanya Lata Walpola, the unique singer of this country, who was titled 'Helawe Geetha Kokilavi' (Nightingale of Sinhala Music), passed away today (27). She was 91 years old at the time of her death, having enriched the country's music field with her melodious voice for over seventy years. She has sung playback songs for over 600 films.

Born on November 11, 1934, in Galkissa, Mrs. Lata Walpola's original name was Rita Genevieve Fernando. She was one of five children of Joseph Fernando and Elizabeth Muriel and received her primary education at St. Anthony's College, Dehiwala. From a young age, she honed her singing talent by leading the church choir.

Mrs. Lata Walpola entered the world of art at the young age of 12, beginning her professional journey as a singer at Radio Ceylon in 1946 under the guidance of Mr. C.A. Fonseka. Subsequently, in 1947, the song "Kandulu Denethe Wahena," which she sang for a musical composition by Mr. Vincent de Alwis, became her first solo song in history.

She entered playback singing in Sinhala cinema through the film 'Eda Rae' (That Night), which was screened in 1953. Titled 'The Queen of Songs in Sinhala Cinema,' she subsequently contributed her melodious voice to over 600 films. It is stated that she sang over ten thousand songs, contributing to numerous creations by many artists, including veteran musicians like Premasiri Khemadasa.

She married veteran singer Dharmadasa Walpola in 1959 and became known as Lata Walpola thereafter. A loving mother of four sons and one daughter, she was honored with several state awards in appreciation of her unparalleled service to the arts. Accordingly, the government honored her with the Kalashoori Award in 2005 and the Deshamanya Award in 2017. Furthermore, she won numerous local and international awards, including four Sarasavi Awards, and notably received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Ceylon International Film Festival held in 2022.