M. S. Fernando was a Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

n baila

Baila

Baila is a form of dance music popular on the island of Sri Lanka. The genre originated centuries ago among the 'kaffir' or Afro-Sinhalese communities and was later amalgamated with European instruments and eastern and western rhythms, especially rhythms found in Spain and northern European folk...

 singer. He is heralded a major player in the development of baila music and was widely popular among Sri Lankan audiences.

Fernando received many accolades in his long career including the Golden Lotus Award presented by Sri Lankan President William Gopallawa

William Gopallawa

William Gopallawa , MBE was the last Governor General of Ceylon from 1962 to 1972 and became the first President of Sri Lanka when Ceylon declared itself a republic in 1972 and changed its name to Sri Lanka...

 in 1973 and over 159 silver trophies in various Baila contests he entered. He was able to sing in five languages and incorporated dancing into his act. Fernando performed in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

 and Middle East

Middle East

The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

to Sinhala audiences.

Overview

Fernando was born in 1936 in Moratuwa to Laron Fernando and Lilee Gomes on March 4. He attended St. Anthony's College, Mt. Lavinia and Christ Church, Dehiwela. Fernando studied under veteran musician J. A. Sathiadasan. He debuted as a singer with the duet, "Malak Kada Konde Gasala," done with Pushparani Ariyaratne. It was written by Karunaratne Abeysekera.

The song became popular and allowed Fernando to become a playback singer. His first song in the field, "Sili Siliye Nava Suvandak," was also a success. Fernando would eventually lend his voice to over 150 films. He also pursued an acting career appearing in over 25 films and several teledramas, most notably Udagira.

Personal life

Fernando was married to Tulin Fernando and had six sons. Son Susil and brother Walter continue to perform M.S.'s songs in his memory.