Veteran Marathi singer Arun Date, known for his popular song "Shukratara",died at his residence here today...

Veteran Marathi singer Arun Date, known for his popular song "Shukratara", died at his residence here today. He was 84. The singer was not keeping well due to old age, his son Atul Date said. He died at his residence here around 6 am, he said. Date, famous for non-film 'bhavgeet' (lyrical poetry) songs, had crooned numbers like "Shukratara" and "Ya Janmavar", which became very popular among people. He was the first recipient of the state government's 'Gajananrav Vatave Puraskar'. His father, Ramubhaiyya Date, was also a well-known classical music connoisseur. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed his condolences saying that "in Date's demise, we have lost a major singer."  "Date holds a special position in the minds of Marathi people. His contribution in popularising the Marathi bhavgeet is immense," Fadnavis said in a statement.

Several songs of Date are still popular among the people, he noted. "His soft and tender voice immortalized these songs. We have lost a shining star of our music industry," he said. State culture minister Vinod Tawde, in his condolence message, said, "Date contributed to the Marathi music industry for more than 50 years. With his demise, there is going to be a vacuum in the music sector."  The leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, and his counterpart in the Council, Dhananjay Munde, also expressed their condolences on Date's death.