Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa today paid their last respects to veteran singer Mariasel Gunathilaka.
She passed away in the early hours of Friday (10) while receiving treatment at the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital after a prolonged illness. Her body was laid to rest at a private funeral home in Borella, and the funeral was scheduled to be held today (13) at the Borella General Cemetery.
Mariasel, who entered the singing world in the 1970s, has been the lead singer of several popular music groups in the country during that era. The song Kandy Lamissee she sang is still a popular hit song in the country. Mariasel's songs, sung in both Sinhala and English, remain popular among fans in this country to this day