Tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain passes away

World-renowned tabla virtuoso and composer Ustad Zakir Hussain passed away at 73 in the US. 

He was the son of legendary musician Ustad Alla Rakha and had been undergoing treatment at a hospital in San Francisco, USA.

Reports reveal that Ustad Zakir Hussain was admitted to the hospital a week ago due to heart complications and was being treated in the ICU.

Famed flutist Rakesh Chaurasia told the news agency PTI that Ustad Zakir Hussain had been suffering from blood pressure issues and heart-related ailments.

Short profile: 

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.