We heard of an unfortunate news yesterday. It was being reported that tabla ustaad has passed away. He was admitted to a hospital in San Francisco after he was unwell and was taken to the ICU. It was his friend and flautist Rakesh Chaurasia who told the media that he was taken to the hospital. As per his manager, he had blood pressure issues and for the past two weeks he also had heart related issues.
However, now the latest reports say that he is not dead. His nephew, Ameer Aulia has clarified the rumours around his death. Ameer wrote on an unverified X handle about the same. The post read, “My uncle Zakir Hussain is very much alive. We ask the news media to stop posting false information. He is in a serious condition, and we urge his fans around the world to pray for his recovery.”
The Tabla maestro is in a critical condition. Even journalist Parvaiz Alam confirmed that ‘s family has not confirmed anything as such. He wrote on X, “I checked with his brother-in-law in London at 1640 GMT on 15 December. The family has not confirmed the news of his death.”
However, despite this, many condolences have been coming up. Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi offered condolences to the family. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting also shared a post but later deleted it. The post read, “The world has lost a true musical genius. Zakir Hussain’s contributions to music will forever be cherished.”
Zakir Hussain is a five-time Grammy winner. He won three awards earlier this year at the 66th Grammys. He was honoured with Padma Shri in 1988, Padma Bhushan in 2002, and Padma Vibhushan in 2023.
