Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain dies at 73
In a career spanning six decades, Hussain became the most recognisable exponent of the instrument.
Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, one of India’s most accomplished Hindustani musicians, died on Sunday in a hospital in San Francisco in the United States, his family confirmed, reported PTI. He was 73.
Hussain died of complications from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, according to his family.
He had been hospitalised for two weeks and was moved to the intensive care unit as his condition worsened.
Hussain, widely considered the greatest tabla player of his generation, was born in Mumbai in 1951. He was the eldest son of legendary tabla player Alla Rakha.
In a career spanning six decades, Hussain became perhaps the most recognisable exponent of the tabla in India and was also credited with popularising the percussion instrument around the world.
Hussain was also known for his collaborations with Indian classical musicians such as Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan and Shivkumar Sharma. Through collaborations with guitar player John McLaughlin, saxophonist Charles Lloyd, banjo player Béla Fleck, bassist Edgar Meyer and drummer, Mickey Hart, he showed how the tabla could organically become part of a variety of musical idioms and contexts.
Hussain was awarded the Padma Shri in 1988, Padma Bhushan in 2002 and Padma Vibhushan in 2023. He won four Grammy Awards, including three at the 66th Grammy Awards earlier this year.
Hussain is survived by his wife Antonia Minnecola, daughters Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi, brothers Taufiq Qureshi and Fazal Qureshi, and sister Khurshid Aulia.
Also read: The Zakir Hussain interview: ‘What do I bring to the tabla? I think it is openness and clarity’
