Veteran and prolific Baila singer in Sri Lanka Nihal Nelson has passed away. He was 76 years old at the time of his death. Nelson to date holds the record for the most albums recorded by a Sri Lankan artist with 113 albums. He also worked as a playback singer for many films.

He was among the first Sri Lankan vocalists to release a cassette in 1978 with Gune Ayyage Kamare. The release was on Wijaya Ramanayake's Tharanga label which introduced the format to Sri Lanka. Nelson was also among the first to release a compact disc.