Ustad Zakir Hussain, whose tabla tunes have a unique identity in the world of music, is no more among us. He died at the age of 73. He breathed his last in a hospital in San Francisco, USA. His family confirmed this sad news on Monday morning.

A statement issued by the family said that Ustad Hussain died due to 'idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis' (lung disease). He was hospitalized for the last two weeks and was admitted to the ICU after his health deteriorated. The family statement said that Ustad Hussain has left an extraordinary legacy, which has been cherished by music lovers all over the world, and which will live on for generations to come. As soon as the news of Hussain's death came out, many celebrities paid tribute to him on social media.

Whenever the name of the tabla is taken, the name of Ustad Zakir Hussain is taken first. He not only carried forward the tradition of his father's Punjab Gharana, but also took the tabla to a global platform by taking it above classical music. He received the Grammy Award for 'The Planet Drum' in 1992 and 'Global Drum Project' in 2009. In addition, in 2024 he won three Grammy Awards simultaneously for three different music albums. The Government of India also honored him with the Padma Vibhushan. Ustad Zakir Hussain not only gave international recognition to the tabla, but also took it to a new dimension.

Ustad Hussain married Kathak dancer Antonia Minicolla in 1978 and has two daughters—Anisha and Isabella. In 1983, he entered the acting world and acted in the film 'Heat and Dust'. After this, he also acted in films like 'The Perfect Murder', 'Miss Betty's Childers', and 'Saaz'. Zakir Hussain always tried to connect the tabla with the common people. This was the reason why he used to produce different types of sounds from the tabla in his classical performances—sometimes like a damru, sometimes like a conch, and sometimes like raindrops.