Gratien Ananda has passed away
Gratien Ananda, a leading Music Director and a popular singer, has passed away. He was 53. He died at the Colombo National Hospital.
Gratien Ananda entered the music field in 1970s. He sang to the hearts of the nation. He was educated at St. Mathew’s and St. Joseph’s Colleges, Colombo. It was in 1978 that Gratien Ananda sang his first duet “Ehta Duraka Desa Pavela” with Neela Wickremasinghe. He was the lead guitarist with “Fortunes “, “Dreamers”, “Earnest and the Combo”, “Superset and “Seac” for many years.
He got his major break when Music Director Sarath Dasanayake made him his assistant for one of his films. Later he joined Stanley Peiris as his assistant. During his career he lent his voice to more than 500 Sinhala songs and directed music for 15 films. Gratien won the Sarasaviya Award for the Best Male Vocalist in the film “Raja-Daruwo”. Funeral arrangements will be notified later.
