Gita Lulin Maung Ko Ko clutches one of his three Academy Awards at a ceremony in 2002.

ONE of Myanmar’s most revered and respected musicians, Gita Lulin Maung Ko Ko, passed away peacefully on October 10 in Yangon General Hospital at the age of 79.

U Ko Ko was one of the country’s most influential figures in film and music, writing and producing thousands of songs for movies during his 60 years in the industry.

“He loved music so much,” said his elder brother Bogalay Tint Aung. “It was his whole life. He played many instruments, composed songs and worked for years on film soundtracks.”

Born on November 11, 1928, in Bogalay, Ayeyarwady division, the singer and songwriter discovered a talent for music at the age of 11, when his parents enrolled him in the School of Art and Music in Yangon.

He joined a classical orchestra singing and playing the xylophone and broadcast his first song in 1939 on the Burma Broadcasting Service.

With a lot of practise and some help from his bandmates, U Ko Ko mastered his classical repertoire at a young age and began to build a reputation among musical circles as a singer, xylophone player and pianist.

In 1945 he began writing music for silent movies and by 1948 he had established himself as a film music director.

In the following years he wrote over 2000 songs for film and even directed and starred in some of the movies such as What is Love? (Myitta Hu The) and Tragedy in a Shroud of Falling Mist (Lwun Ngwe Ta Wai Wai).

Working on film sets for five years, U Ko Ko began to get restless, longing for the old days of live performance, so in 1950 he joined the Win Win Theatre and started performing as a musician while directing and writing over 500 songs for stage plays on the side. That same year he married his sweetheart Daw San San Myint and over the next 10 years they had five children together.

His greatest career achievements were acknowledged over 30 years later when he won a string of Academy Awards for his work on films. He won Best Musical Score in 1992, 1995 and 2002, along with awards for outstanding social and art contributions. He accepted his last award earlier this year, when he was honoured as a Doctor of Music by the Ministry of Culture.

Over the years U Ko Ko spent much of his spare time attending fundraising social functions and donating to causes around the country.

Old age didn’t slow the music maker down. In 1993, he spent some time teaching the history of Myanmar music to students at universities in the United States and Canada. On his return he was made chairman of the Myanmar Music Organisation and the Myanmar Performance Art Competitions.

In his final years he travelled to Malaysia, Singapore, Germany, Indonesia and Japan to perform and study music at various music schools.

Four months before U Ko Ko’s death, his wife Daw San San Myint passed away. They left behind their 5 children, 11 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.

He was buried at Yeway cemetery on October 12.