Veteran musician Nihal Nelson dies

by Staff Writer 13-12-2022 | 5:11 PM

Colombo (News 1st) - Veteran vocalist, lyricist and composer Nihal Nelson passed away on Tuesday (13). He was 76 years old at the time of his demise.

Nihal Nelson was one of the most influential singers in Sri Lanka and considered ‘undefeated on the concert stage’.

Nelson holds the record for the most albums recorded by a Sri Lankan artist with 113 albums.

Nihal Nelson was born on 1946 in Moratuwa, and received his primary education from Innocent Maria Mixed School which is currently known as Rawathawaththa Methodist College.

After passing grade 8, he entered Moratu Maha Vidyalaya where he completed A/L in 1960.

Nelson married Malini Sriyalatha in 1974.

He was among the first Sri Lankan vocalists to release a cassette in 1978 with Gune Ayyage Kamare. Nelson was also among the first to release a compact disc.

He was known for his popular hits such as “Pansala Palliya”, “Kiri Dunne Daruwantai”, “Lassanata Pipunu Wana Mal”, “Karuna Suwanda” and many more.

He also worked as a playback singer for many films.