Mumbai, March 14 : Ayan Mukerji's father and veteran actor Deb Mukherjee has passed away at the age of 83 on Friday.

Confirming the news, his spokesperson revealed that he died in the morning due to age-related health issues. A prominent member of the renowned Samarth-Mukherjee family, Deb was the father of filmmaker Ayan Mukerji and the father-in-law of director Ashutosh Gowariker.

Deb Mukherjee's funeral will be held at the Pawan Hans Crematorium in Juhu on March 14. The funeral is likely to be attended by members of his extended family, including Kajol and Ajay Devgn, Rani Mukerji, Tanuja, Tanissha, and Aditya Chopra. Friends of Ayan Mukerji, including Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Hrithik Roshan, Sidharth Malhotra, Deepika Padukone, and Ranveer Singh are also expected to attend the funeral.

Deb Mukherjee, born in Kanpur in 1941, hails from a renowned and accomplished film family. His mother, Satidevi, was the only sister of legendary figures Ashok Kumar, Anup Kumar, and Kishore Kumar.

His siblings included the actor Joy Mukherjee and filmmaker Shomu Mukherjee, who was married to Bollywood actress Tanuja. His nieces are famous actresses Kajol and Rani Mukerji. Deb Mukherjee was married twice. His daughter Sunita, from his first marriage, is married to filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker, while his son Ayan is from his second marriage.

For the unversed, Deb Mukherjee started his career in the 1960s with small roles in films such as "Tu Hi Meri Zindagi" and "Abhinetri." As his career progressed, Deb transitioned to supporting roles in movies like "Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander" and "King Uncle." His final appearance on screen was a cameo in Vishal Bhardwaj's "Kaminey" in 2009.

/IANS