Renowned tabla maestro Zakir Hussain breathed his last in a San Francisco hospital due to heart-related complications, his family confirmed on Monday. The 73-year-old had been under medical care for two weeks, eventually moved to the ICU as his health worsened. Although false reports of his passing emerged on Sunday, they were refuted until his family issued a formal statement the next morning.
“Zakir Hussain, one of the most inspiring musicians of our time, succumbed to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in San Francisco at 73,” the statement read. The Indian Consulate in San Francisco mourned his loss, noting, “His music and influence will echo through generations.”
The eldest son of iconic tabla legend Ustad Allah Rakha, Hussain revolutionized the tabla, taking it to global prominence. Over a six-decade career, he earned five Grammy Awards, including three at the 66th Grammy Awards earlier this year. Honored with the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan, he epitomized India’s classical music brilliance.
Hussain’s groundbreaking collaboration in 1973 with John McLaughlin, L Shankar, and Vikku Vinayakram blended Indian classical music with jazz, pioneering a new genre of fusion music. Tributes poured in from political figures like Rahul Gandhi, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Nitin Gadkari, along with industrialists such as Anand Mahindra and Gautam Adani, celebrating the legacy of a global music icon.
Hussain’s artistry, innovation, and passion have immortalized him in the hearts of music lovers worldwide.