Zakir Hussain no more, family of Tabla maestro confirms

Zakir Hussain, the legendary Tabla player, passed away at 73 in a San Francisco hospital, PTI reported on December 16.

The maestro's family has confirmed reports of his passing, the new agency said.

Hussain had been admitted at the hospital for the past two weeks and was later taken to the ICU after his condition worsened.


Also read: Death reported earlier, but later retracted

Reports of his death had circulated earlier, prompting his sister, Khursheed, to tell the press agency PTI that Hussain was "very very critical" but "very much breathing at the moment."

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had announced Hussain's passing on social media a few hours earlier, but later deleted the statement.

Zakir Hussain: A legendary musician

Hussain was one of India's most popular and celebrated classical musicians. He was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1988, the Padma Bhushan in 2002, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2023.

Zakir Hussain was the son of tabla legend Allah Rakha. During a glittering career spanning six decades, he achieved many international honours including five Grammy Awards -- three of them at the 2023 ceremony.

Hussain's career includes collaborations with numerous Indian and international artists of renown. A pivotal project in 1973 with guitarist John McLaughlin, violinist L. Shankar, and percussionist T.H. 'Vikku' Vinayakram achieved cult status by blending Indian classical music with jazz elements.