Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain dies at 73

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. Read more