Biography:

 

Deshamanya Matharage Rita Genevieve Fernando (11 November 1934 – 27 December 2025), better known by her stage name Latha Walpola (Sinhala: ලතා වල්පොල), was a Sri Lankan singer. Her fans refer to her as “The Nightingale of Sri Lanka”[1]

Background

Walpola was born in Mount-Lavinia on 11 November 1934,[2][3][4] to Joseph Fernando and Elizabeth Muriel.[5] She was one of five children. Her mother, a teacher, encouraged her to become a singer.[1][6] Walpola received her primary education at St. Anthony College in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, where she led a church choir.

She married Dharmadasa Walpola in 1959, becoming known as Latha Walpola. A ceremonial wedding was held at Sirikotha, Kollupitiya. The couple has four sons and one daughter.[7]

Walpola died on 27 December 2025, at the age of 91.[8]

Career

Latha Walpola was a member at 12 years old of Radio Ceylon‘s Choir in 1946. C.A. Fonseka, a family friend and radio dramatist, brought her to Radio Ceylon to perform in his Sarala Gee programme with his son C.D. Fonseka.

In 1947, Walpola sang her first solo song, “Kandulu Denethe Vehena”, which had lyrics by Sarath Wimalaweera and music composed by Vincent de Alwis, the resident violinist at Radio Ceylon. She then began to sing under the direction of Mohammed Gauss, P.L.A. Somapala, and B.S. Perera. By 1950, she was well-known in the country, covering the songs “Sukomala Banda Lelawa”, “Dunhinda Helena”, and “Diyaluma Helena”, originally sung by Chitra Somapala. Walpola has recorded for both the Columbia and His Master’s Voice record labels. “Malbara Himidiriye Pipune Esala Araliya Mala”, sung with C. T. Fernando, is one of her most popular songs. Many of her most popular songs were composed by Premasiri Khemadasa. At the age of 86, she sang a song with music by Sarath de Alvis and lyrics by Jude Prasanna.[9]

Work in cinema

In 1952, she was a playback singer for the film Eda Rae, released in 1953, and in three films with Dharmadasa Walpola during the same year. Walpola contributed to nearly 600 films during her career.[10]

Awards

Walpola won the Kala Suri award from the Sri Lankan government in 2005.[11] In 2017, she was awarded the second highest civil award, Deshamanya, by the government. She has won the Sarasaviya Award, presented to individuals involved with the cinema of Sri Lanka,[12] four times. In 2021, she received a lifetime achievement award during a ceremony held for 21 artists who made contributions to Sinhala cinema in its early decades.[13] In 2022, she received a lifetime achievement award at the Ceylon International Film Festival in Santa Barbara, California; the awards ceremony was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka in February 2023.

Other awards include:

• The Deepasika Award in 1974.[14]
• The Golden Swan Award in 1992.
• The Golden Conch Award in 1995.
• The Golden Jubilee Presidential Award for Pioneers of Film Industry in 1997.[citation needed]
• The W. Sumathipala Awardin 2004.
• The Appreciation Award of OCIC in 2006.
• Lifetime achievement award, Ceylon International Film Festival 2022

Credits:

Wikipedia