Jothipala was born on 12 February 1936 in Dematagoda, Colombo, Sri Lanka as the first child in a middle-class family. His father H. R. James was a tailor in Matara and mother Ahaliyagoda H. K. Podinona Perera was a nurse. Their home town is Matara, Sri Lanka & They later moved to Colombo.[6] He attended St. Lawrence College in Maradana and St. John's College in Dematagoda. He has four younger sisters and one younger brother.
Jothipala would visit tea kiosks to hear music as his family didn't own a radio. He cleaned medicine bottles at the Sulaiman Hospital on Armor Street, Colombo. Later he worked as the peon in M. D. Gunasena and the company.
He was married to Blossom Winter, they had four daughters together. He came to be known by his initials "H. R." and was loved as "Hadhavatha Raththaran Jothipala", meaning "golden-hearted Jothipala", due to his kindness to people of all ages, communities, and families.