Zakir Hussain, virtuoso of the tabla instrument and a towering determine in Indian classical music, died on Dec. 15 of persistent lung illness, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, at a hospital in San Francisco. He was 73.

“His prolific work as a trainer, mentor and educator has left an indelible mark on numerous musicians. He hoped to encourage the following technology to go additional. He leaves behind an unparalleled legacy as a cultural ambassador and one of many best musicians of all time,” a press release from his household confirming his demise, stated.

Hussain was acknowledged with 4 Grammy Awards over the course of his profession. His first Grammy got here in 2009 for Finest World Music Album with “World Drum Challenge,” a collaboration with Mickey Hart of the Grateful Lifeless. He added three extra Grammys in 2024, for Finest World Music Efficiency for “Pashto,” Finest Up to date Instrumental Album for “As We Communicate” and Finest World Music Album for “This Second.”

Broadly considered one of many world’s most achieved percussionists, Hussain was instrumental in bringing Indian classical music to worldwide audiences. The eldest son of legendary tabla participant Ustad Alla Rakha, Hussain was born in Mumbai. He started acting at a younger age, accompanying a few of India’s best musicians, and by 18, he was touring globally, establishing himself as a number one determine in Indian classical and world music.

A pioneer in musical collaboration, Hussain co-founded the fusion group Shakti with guitarist John McLaughlin within the mid-Nineteen Seventies, making a groundbreaking mix of Indian and Western jazz traditions. The group’s affect prolonged throughout genres, incomes essential popularity of its revolutionary strategy to music. Hussain additionally labored with a wide selection of artists, together with Hart, George Harrison, and Van Morrison.

Hussain’s work prolonged past the live performance stage to movie and tv. He composed music for the Cannes-premiering movie “Vanaprastham” and contributed to the soundtracks of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now,” Bernardo Bertolucci’s “Little Buddha” and Service provider Ivory’s “In Custody.”

He additionally dabbled in appearing with credit together with “Warmth and Mud,” “Saaz” and “Monkey Man.”

Along with his Grammy wins, Hussain acquired quite a few different accolades, together with India’s Padma Shri (1988), Padma Bhushan (2002), and Padma Vibhushan (2023), a number of the nation’s highest civilian honors. Within the U.S, he was acknowledged with a Nationwide Heritage Fellowship from the Nationwide Endowment for the Arts in 1999.

He’s survived by his spouse, the Kathak dancer Antonia Minnecola, and their two daughters, Anisa and Isabella.

“Zakir Bhai was an inspiration, a towering persona who elevated the tabla to world acclaim. His loss is immeasurable for all of us. I remorse not having the ability to collaborate with him as a lot as we did a long time in the past, although we had deliberate an album collectively. You shall be actually missed. Could his household and his numerous college students worldwide discover the energy to bear this immense loss,” posted Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Grammy-winning composer A.R. Rahman in tribute.