In a heartfelt tribute to tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, who breathed his last in a hospital in San Francisco, US, on Monday, the US Embassy in India said Zakir was a true maestro who touched millions of hearts worldwide. The Embassy took to X to post a video featuring Hussain, which was created to celebrate 75 years of the US-India relationship.
The Embassy's post on X reads, "Forever in our hearts, Wah Ustaad Wah! We pay our tributes to Ustad Zakir Hussain, a true maestro who touched millions of hearts worldwide with this special video we created with him to celebrate 75 years of the U.S.-India relationship."
Zakir, who is regarded as the greatest tabla player of his generation, is survived by his wife Antonia Minnecola and their daughters- Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi.
Earlier, Zakir's family in a statement said he died from complications arising out of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
He was admitted to the hospital for the past two weeks and was shifted to the intensive care unit (ICU) after his health condition declined. Hussain's sister Khurshid Aulia said he passed away "very peacefully".
"He passed away very peacefully after the ventilation machine was switched off. This was 4 pm San Francisco time," she told PTI.
Born on March 9, 1951, he was the son of legendary tabla master Ustad Alla Rakha.
The family said in its statement, "He leaves behind an extraordinary legacy cherished by countless music lovers around the globe, with an influence that will resonate for generations to come."
Zakir Hussain's illustrious carrer
Zakir's career spanned six decades during which he worked with several renowned international and Indian artists. However, it was his 1973 project with English guitarist John McLaughlin, violinist L Shankar and percussionist TH 'Vikku' Vinayakram that brought together Indian classical music and elements of jazz in a hitherto unknown fusion.
Zakir, whose career started as early as when he was seven, went on to collaborate with virtually all of India's iconic performers, including Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan and Shivkumar Sharma.
He has also collaborated with Western musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma, Charles Lloyd, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Mickey Hart and George Harrison, which brought Indian classical music to an international audience, cementing his status as a global cultural ambassador.
Zakir Hussain, India's most celebrated classical musician
Hussain received a total of four Grammy Awards in his career, which includes three at the 66th awards ceremony earlier this year.
Zakir, the percussionist, is India's most celebrated classical musician. He received the Padma Shri in 1988, Padma Bhushan in 2002, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2023.
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(With inputs from agency)
