Zakir Hussain, the legendary tabla maestro and composer, passed away on Sunday, December 15, 2024, at the age of 73.
Earlier on Sunday, Hussain was admitted to the ICU of a San Francisco hospital with heart related problems, his friend and flautist Rakesh Chaurasia told PTI.
Hussain’s manager Nirmala Bachani told the news agency, “He has been admitted to a hospital in San Francisco for a heart related problem for the last two weeks.”
The US-based tabla maestro had been battling blood pressure issues, according to Hussain’s manager, Nirmala Bachani.
Ustad Zakir Hussain: The Tabla Maestro
The eldest son of legendary tabla player Allah Rakha, Zakir Hussain followed in his father’s footsteps to become a global icon. Throughout his career, Hussain won five Grammy Awards, including three at the 66th Grammy Awards earlier this year.
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.
Hussain, regarded as one of India’s most renowned classical musicians, received the Padma Shri, one of the country’s highest civilian honors, in 1988, the Padma Bhushan in 2002, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2023.