NEW DELHI:  Renowned Indian dancer Astad Debu has passed away. He was 73.

Debu passed away following a brief illness at his own residence in Mumbai on Thursday, his family members said.

Veteran dancer Debu is regarded as an icon in the modern Indian dance. In 1995, Debu was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his contribution to contemporary creative dance.

The Sangeet Natak Akademi said in its quote that Debu will be remembered for theater-style dance. In 2007, he was awarded the Padma Shri.

Born on July 13, 1947 in Navsari city of Gujarat, Debu took Kathak training from Prahlad Das and learned from Kathakali I Panikkar.

(With inputs from Agencies)