The death occurred yesterday of veteran journalist Jatila Wellabada (56), a former Chief Editor of Lakbima and Irudina newspapers.
He was working as a Consultant (News) to the Independent Television Network (ITN) at the time of his death. His journalism career began as a reporter for the Divaina newspaper in 1984. He soon gained a reputation as a political analyst, columnist and editorialist.
He was appointed as the Chief Editor of the Lakbima Daily in 2002, a post which he held for 10 years. He then became Chief Editor of the Irudina Sunday newspaper. He also headed the Front Page and Savana websites.
An old boy of Ananda College, Colombo, Wellabada received journalism training from several prestigious foreign institutions. He functioned as a member of the Panel of Judges of the Journalism Awards of Excellence for several years and as the Secretary of the Editors Guild of Sri Lanka. He was also a lecturer at Sri Jayawardhanapura and Kelaniya Universities.
He is survived by his wife Priyadharshani and two children. His remains are at his residence near the Raja Maha Viharaya, Kelaniya. The funeral will take place at 5 p.m. on January 24 (Wednesday) at the Pilapitya Cemetery, Kelaniya.