Home News Legendary Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain passes away at 73: Ranveer Singh, Kareena...

Legendary Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain passes away at 73: Ranveer Singh, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Akshay Kumar and others mourn his loss

Four-time Grammy Award winner and Padma Vibhushan awardee legendary Tabla player Zakir Hussain died on Sunday.

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Zakir Hussain died at 73 (Image via Instagram)

Indian classical musician and legendary Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain left for heavenly abode on Sunday, December 15, 2024 at the age of 73. As per a statement by his family, the iconic Tabla player died because of complications arising from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis at a San Francisco hospital. Reportedly, he was in the hospital for two weeks and was later shifted to intensive care when his condition worsened.

With a number of awards and honours, including seven Grammy nominations of which he won four and Padma Vibhushan, among others to his credit, Zakir Hussain has left an indelible print on numerous musicians in his career spanning six decades. “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,” the statement read.

Born in 1951 to Ustad Alla Rakha Khan- who himself was a legendary table artist, Hussain was a child prodigy who started learning how to play the instrument at the age of seven from his father. By the time he was a teenager, he’d started performing with some of India’s classical music legends. He won his first Grammy Award in 2009. Earlier this year (2024) he became the only Indian musician to have won three Grammys in the same year. He was honoured with the country’s second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan in 2023, Padma Bhushan in the year 2002, and Padma Shri in the year 1988.

From Kamal Haasan, Amitabh Bachchan, Ranveer Singh, to Kareena Kapoor Khan, Farhan Akhtar, AR Rahman, Vishal Dadlani, Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal – a number of B-Town celebs and musicians have expressed their condolences and paid their tribute to the revered musician. While Big B took to his blog to post about Hussain’s passing away, others took to their Instagram or X (formerly Twitter) account to pay their respect. Here are some of the reactions:

Amitabh Bachchan On Zakir Hussain Death
Kareena On Zakir Hussain Death

Hussain is survived by his wife and two daughters. May his soul rest in peace.