The Tabla maestro and a Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awardee, Ustad Zakir Hussain has passed away at the age of 73 in a San Francisco hospital. The world-renowned artist’s death has been confirmed by the family. Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain died at a hospital in San Francisco, his family said on Monday.
Hussain died due to the complications arising out of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, according to his family. For the last two weeks he has been hospitalised and was later taken to the ICU as his condition deteriorated; he passed away at the age of 73. He is survived by his wife Antonia Minnecola and two daughters, Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi. Hussain has received four Grammy Awards in his career, including three at the 66th Grammy Awards earlier this year.
In his career spanning six decades, the musician worked with many renowned international and Indian artistes, but it was his 1973 musical project with English guitarist John McLaughlin, violinist L Shankar, and percussionist TH ‘Vikku’ Vinayakram that brought together Indian classical and elements of jazz in a fusion hitherto unknown.
In February, Hussain became the first musician from India to receive three Grammys at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in February for Best Global Music Album, Best Global Music Performance and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. Besides his work as a tabla player, Hussain also composed music for many movies, including “Manto” and “Mr and Mrs Iyer”.
Other than Shakti, Hussain also contributed to many collaborations, including Masters of Percussion, Planet Drum and Global Drum Project with Mickey Hart, Tabla Beat Science, Sangam with Charles Lloyd and Eric Harland, CrossCurrents with Dave Holland and Chris Potter, in trio with Béla Fleck and Edgar Meyer, and, most recently, with Herbie Hancock. He also acted in the Merchant Ivory film production “Heat and Dust”, “The Perfect Murder” and “Saaz”, opposite Shabana Azmi. The percussionist, one of India’s most celebrated classical musicians, received the Padma Shri in 1988, the Padma Bhushan in 2002, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2023.
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