AMN
Legendary tabla maestro Zakir Hussain passed away in the United States last night. He was 73. Family sources said that the maestro was battling blood-pressure-related problems. Earlier, Zakir Hussain had been admitted to a hospital in San Francisco after experiencing heart-related problems.
Ustaad Zakir Hussain was born on March 9, 1951, in Mumbai. As the eldest son of the illustrious tabla player Allah Rakha, he was naturally drawn towards music from a very young age.
In a career spanning six decades, Hussain won five Grammy Awards, including three at the 66th Grammy Awards earlier this year. He also acted in a few movies including ‘Saaz’, ‘Heat and Dust’. His most recent film ‘Monkey Man’ was released in 2024. 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 received the Padma Shri, one of the country’s highest civilian honours, in 1988, the Padma Bhushan in 2002, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2023.