Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, 73, has been admitted to the ICU of a San Francisco hospital due to heart-related issues, according to his family and friends on Sunday. Hussain, who has brought the tabla to the global stage, had been struggling with blood pressure problems, as confirmed by his manager, Nirmala Bachani.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting initially announced Zakir Hussain’s death on its ‘X’ page but later removed the post.
Amid false reports of his death, Hussain’s sister Khursheed clarified to PTI that while her brother remains ‘very very critical,’ he is still alive. “My brother is deeply ill at this time. We are asking all his fans around India and around the world to pray for him, to pray for his health. But as India’s greatest ever exports, do not finish him off just yet,” she said.
She further urged the media to refrain from spreading misinformation: “I just want to request all the media not to follow wrong information about Zakir’s passing. He is very much breathing at the moment. He is very very critical, but he’s still with us. He has not yet gone. So, I will request (the media) not to spread this rumour by writing or saying that he has passed away. I feel so bad watching all this information on Facebook which is very wrong,” she added.
“He has been admitted to a hospital in San Francisco for a heart-related problem for the last two weeks,” Bachani told PTI.
Hussain’s publicist also confirmed to the news agency that the percussionist is being treated in San Francisco and is “very much alive.”
Zakir Hussain: The Tabla Maestro
The Bombay-born, eldest son of legendary tabla player Allah Rakha, Zakir Hussain followed in his father’s footsteps to become a global icon. Hussain’s wife is Antonia Minnecola, a Kathak dancer and teacher. The couple has two daughters, Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi.
In a career spanning six decades, Zakir Hussain collaborated with several renowned artists, both Indian and international. His 1973 project with English guitarist John McLaughlin, violinist L Shankar, and percussionist T.H. ‘Vikku’ Vinayakram was groundbreaking. The collaboration fused Indian classical music with jazz, creating a unique sound never heard before. Throughout his career, Hussain won five Grammy Awards, including three at the 66th Grammy Awards earlier this year.
He is regarded as one of India’s most renowned classical musicians. Hussain has received the Padma Shri, one of the country’s highest civilian honours, in 1988; the Padma Bhushan in 2002; and the Padma Vibhushan in 2023.
The tabla legend has also appeared in several films, including Saaz and Heat and Dust. His latest film, Monkey Man, was released in 2024.