Vijaya Corea Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth and Family

In September 2007, he was fêted in Melbourne by Sri Lankan musicians living in that country who acknowledged his contribution to their careers.

Star performers from Sri Lanka and abroad gathered together for the show Grand Salute to Vijaya Corea to pay a musical tribute to him on his 40th anniversary in electronic media and showbiz at the BMICH Conference Hall in Colombo on 6 August 2005. On that occasion, Sri Lankan star and London-based artiste Desmond de Silva presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to Corea from the Autism Awareness Campaign.

Corea climbed the management ladder and in the 1990s he was appointed Director-General of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. While there, he succeeded in bringing a resurgence to Sri Lankan radio. Corea has been given numerous tributes and awards through the years. He is included in the list of notable individuals from the island of Sri Lanka.

He has The Distinction of being the first ever, to stand on the BMICH stage to present a musical evening and cultural pageant inaugurating the 5th Non-Aligned Summit Conference in the year 1976, which was designed for television and telecast ‘live’ on global television”.

Corea joined the Commercial Service of Radio Ceylon in 1964, lending his voice to the popular children’s program Kiddies Corner. The American presenter, Craig Thompson, was unwell at the time, so Corea who was visiting Radio Ceylon was asked to step in, by his cousin Vernon Corea, despite having no prior broadcasting experience. He proved to be a natural, however, and lost no time in establishing himself as the most sought after commercial broadcaster. The impact of his voice and style before the microphone captivated the hearts of listeners. He joined Radio Ceylon at a time when the station was ruling the airwaves, right across the Indian sub-continent.The announcers of Radio Ceylon enjoyed star status in South Asia.

He grew up in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Vijaya Corea is the son of Dr. C. V. S. Corea and Amybelle Corea and the half-brother of Siva Obeyesekere the former health minister and Dr. Gamani Corea who was the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations. Corea’s grandfather was the famed freedom fighter of Ceylon, Victor Corea. He is a direct descendant of King Dominicus Corea who was crowned King of Kotte and Sitawaka in 1596 by Vimala Drama Suriya, King of Kandy.