Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain has been admitted to the ICU of a San Francisco hospital after experiencing heart related problems, his friend and flautist Rakesh Chaurasia said on Sunday.
The 73-year-old US-based musician had been having blood pressure issues, added a source close to Zakir Hussain.
“He has been admitted to a hospital in San Francisco for a heart related problem for the last week,” he said.
“He is unwell and admitted in the ICU right now. We all are worried about the situation,” Chaurasia told PTI.
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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.
