Zakir Hussain, one of the world’s greatest tabla players, has died at the age of 73.
The Indian classical music icon died of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease, at a hospital in San Francisco, according to a Statemen by his family.
Hussain was a four-time Grammy award winner and has received the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award.
Through his performances, he transformed the tabla into a globally loved solo instrument that was the star of the show.
The tabla – a pair of drums used in Indian classical music – was historically viewed as an accompaniment to the main performance.
Nayan Ghosh, who plays the sitar and tabla, called the news “devastating” and said that his association with Hussain went back 60 years to their childhood.
English guitarist John McLaughlin – who performed with Hussain in the band Shakti – described him as “the King, in whose hands, rhythm became magic”. Grammy winning composer Ricky Kej called him “one of the greatest musicians and personalities India has ever produced”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “a true genius who revolutionised the world of Indian classical music”.
Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi said Hussain’s death was “a great loss for the music world”, while the US embassy in India said he was a “true maestro” and would be “forever in our hearts”.
Born in Mumbai in 1951, Hussain began training under his father Ustad Allarakha Khan, a tabla maestro himself.
Hussain described growing up in an “atmosphere of music 24 hours a day”. By age seven, he was performing in concerts alongside his father.
As a teenager, he got an opportunity to perform with legendary Indian sitarist and composer Pandit Ravi Shankar. By 19, he was playing more than 150 concerts a year, both in India and internationally.
As his footprint grew, he contributed to the soundtracks of several films, performed solo and collaborated with artists on the global stage.
His 1992 album Planet Drum with drummer Mickey Hart won a Grammy in the inaugural category of the “Best World Music Album”. He also performed with legendary artists like George Harrison of the Beatles, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and Van Morrison.
Hussain went on to earn seven Grammy nominations, winning four of them.
Biographer Nasreen Munni Kabir noted that in his later years he became “one of the most sought-after accompanists to the very best of Hindustani classical musicians and dancers”.
He used his star status to push younger Indian musicians on to the global stage, she said.
Hussain had previously spoken of his own “good fortune” when it came to his musical career.
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