Lankan singer Kapuge is dead

Veteran singer Gunadasa Kapuge passed away at the Colombo National Hospital from head injuries sustained while disembarking from his flight at the Bandaranaike International Airport on his return from a musicial show in Dubai. He was 57. The funeral is due to take place in Colombo tomorrow.

Kapuge was rushed to the intensive care unit of the Colombo National Hospital after falling near the bus carrying him from the aircraft to the airport terminal.

However, hospital sources said death was due to a massive heart attack he suffered after he was admitted.

Priyantha Fernando, who was one of the musicians at show in Dubai, told Gulf News that Kapuge was already ill while he was in Dubai.

In a music career spanning over three decades, Kapuge introduced a new blend into the local classical style of music veering from the beaten track.

Born in 1945 in a village in southern Sri Lanka, Kapuge was educated in the south. After studies in the science stream initially, Kapuge switched to music, his favourite subject.

In the late 1960s, Kapuge joined the state-run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation where he sang his first song Desa Nilupul Thema in 1973. Today, there are hundreds of songs to his credit.

He has also contributed to films, teledramas and stage drama singing as well as composing music.