His body has been laid to rest at his residence at 69/14/A, Lakeside Watta, Batuwatta. The final rites are scheduled to take place tomorrow (28) at 5.00 p.m. at the Batuwatta Public Cemetery.
Born in Ragama, Walpola, Somasiri received his education at several schools, including Ragama Walpola Government School. He began his media career as a schoolboy, contributing to the Helabima newspaper. He later wrote for children’s newspapers such as Helajeevaya, Mihira, and Tikiri.
He was the creator and editor of Kreeda Loka, considered Sri Lanka’s first dedicated sports newspaper. Under Jackson Senarathna, he joined the Atha newspaper as a Ragama correspondent and went on to serve as a reporter and journalist for publications including Janadina, Rivira, Sirilak, Asa, and Sama Samaja.
Somasiri was also a skilled sports commentator and served as Secretary of the Sri Lanka Cricket Association. In addition, he held the position of President of the All Sri Lanka Poetry Conference and authored several books, including Anna Anna Handhami, Ridi Seenawa, and Nosidena Mathaka.
