Paying an emotional tribute to tabla player Zakir Hussain, who breathed his last in a hospital in San Francisco, the US Embassy in India said that Zakir was a true musician who touched millions of hearts across the world. The embassy posted a video featuring Hussain on Twitter, which was created to celebrate 75 years of US-India relations. In the embassy post on X, it was written that in our hearts forever, Wow Ustad Wow! We pay our tribute to Ustad Zakir Hussain, a true maestro who touched millions of hearts across the world with this special video made with him to celebrate 75 years of America.
Famous tabla player Zakir Hussain passed away in a hospital in San Francisco, USA. His family gave this information. The family said in a statement that Hussain died of complications from the lung condition idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He was 73 years old. Hussain was hospitalized for the last two weeks. He was kept in ICU after his condition deteriorated. Hussain’s sister Khurshid Auliya said he “breathed his last with peace.”
In his career spanning six decades, Hussain worked with many renowned international and Indian artists, but joined forces with guitarist John McLaughlin, violinist L Shankar and percussionist TH ‘Vikku’ Vinayakraman in 1973, combining elements of Indian classical music and Western jazz music. Their fusion was highly appreciated. Hussain started playing the tabla at the age of seven and went on to work with almost all the eminent musical artists of India, including legends like Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan and Shivkumar Sharma. His groundbreaking collaborations with Western musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma, Charles Lloyd, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Mickey Hart and George Harrison brought Indian classical music to an international audience. Hussain has won five Grammy Awards in his career, three of which came at the 66th Grammy Awards earlier this year. Hussain, one of India’s most renowned classical musicians, was awarded the ‘Padma Shri’ in 1988, ‘Padma Bhushan’ in 2002 and ‘Padma Vibhushan’ in 2023.
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 US-India relationship. pic.twitter.com/GvQ2CJpGNf
— US Embassy India (@USAndIndia) December 16, 2024
