Zakir Hussain: Indian classical music legend dies aged 73
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Tributes pour in for tabla virtuoso and global cultural icon. Indian tabla maestro Zakir Hussain died at a hospital in San Francisco on Sunday, his family said. He was 73. “Zakir Hussain, one of the world’s most transcendent musicians, passed away from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in San Francisco at the age of 73,” the family said in a statement.
![[Indian drum maestro Zakir Hussain performs at the ‘Living Dream Concert’ in New Delhi on 16 February 2009]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/16/04/India_Obit_Zakir_Hussain_05643.jpg)
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a severe condition that affects the tissue surrounding the alveoli or air sacs in the lungs. The disease occurs when this lung tissue thickens and stiffens for unknown reasons. Over time, these changes lead to permanent scarring, known as fibrosis, which makes breathing increasingly difficult.
Hussain, son of tabla legend Ustad Allarakha, was a globally celebrated tabla virtuoso. “He leaves behind an extraordinary legacy cherished by countless music lovers around the globe, with an influence that will resonate for generations to come,” the family said.
He is survived by wife Antonia Minnecola, daughters Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi, brothers Taufiq Qureshi and Fazal Qureshi, and sister Khurshid Aulia. Ms Aulia told the Press Trust of India that the maestro died “very peacefully”. “He passed away very peacefully after the ventilation machine was switched off. This was 4pm San Francisco time,” she said.
