Zakir Hussain, legendary Indian musician, dead at 73

Posted On December 16, 2024December 16, 2024

Zakir Hussain, the famous tabla player and icon of Indian classical music, has died at the age of 73, his family have confirmed.

Hussain had been suffering from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and was living in San Francisco at the time of his death. He is survived by his wife, Antonia Minnecola, two daughters, three siblings and granddaughter.

In a statement from his family, they said: “His prolific work as a teacher, mentor and educator has left an indelible mark on countless musicians. He hoped to inspire the next generation to go further. He leaves behind an unparalleled legacy as a cultural ambassador and one of the greatest musicians of all time,”

Born in Mumbai in 1951, Hussain learned to play tabla from his father at the age of seven and was considered a child prodigy due to his rapid mastery of the instrument. The musician was the son of another renowned tabla player, Ustad Allarakha, who was best known for his work alongside sitarist Ravi Shankar. 

Hussain went on to forge a career of his own from a young age, working with a series of names in both classical and contemporary music such as Yo-Yo Ma, Béla Fleck, George Harrison and John McLaughlin. The Indian artist also worked on film scores and created scores for a variety of theatrical productions and ballets.

Having teamed up with such an illustrious list of musicians, his work helped bring Indian classical music to a wider audience across the globe and was widely recognised as one of the greatest players of his instrument in the world. His exceptional career also raised Western awareness of the tabla as an instrument, which is a pair of hand drums and one of the most common rhythmic components of Indian classical music.

Among his many achievements were a lifetime achievement award from SFJazz in 2017, and the Aga Khan Award in 2022 for his “enduring contributions to the musical heritage of humanity, peerless musical mastery and sustained social impact.” He was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan in 2023, which is India’s second-highest civilian award.

Hussain also won four Grammy Awards during his lifetime and became the first Indian performer to win three awards at the ceremony in a single year in 2024. His three awards at this year’s ceremony were for Shakti, which won ‘Best Global Music Album’, while As We Speak, his collaboration with Edgar Meyer, Béla Fleck, and flautist Rakesh Chaurasia, won both ‘Best Global Music Performance’ and ‘Best Contemporary Instrumental Album’.

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