Tabla legend Zakhir Hussain passed away of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in San Fransisco at the age of 73.
Zakir Hussain Allarakha Qureshi (9 March 1951 – 15 December 2024) was an Indian tabla player percussionist, music producer and film actor. He was known for bringing classical Indian music to a global audience. He was the eldest son of tabla player Alla Rakha, and won four Grammy Awards.
“Ustad Zakir Hussain has left our world and is reunited with his father Ustad Allah Rakha in the cosmos creating beautiful rhythm, says Tabla percussionist Cassius Khan. “There will never be anyone like him. Indian Classical music will now be known as Pre-Zakirji and Post-Zakirji,” says Khan.
Hussain was awarded the United States National Endowment for the Arts‘ National Heritage Fellowship, the highest award given to traditional artists and musicians. He was also awarded the Government of India’s Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1990, Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, Ratna Sadsya in 2018. He has received seven Grammy Award nominations, with four wins] including three in 2024.