Tabla master Zakir Hussain died on December 15, 2024 from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in San Francisco at the age of 73. The following information was sent out by his family.

The son of legendary tabla master Ustad Allarakha (Ravi Shankar’s longtime accompanist), Zakir Hussain was widely regarded as the greatest tabla player of his generation. A child prodigy, he collaborated with virtually all of India’s iconic performers, including Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, and Shivkumar Sharma. His groundbreaking work with Western musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma, Charles Lloyd, Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Mickey Hart, George Harrison, and John McLaughlin brought Indian classical music to an international audience, cementing his status as a global cultural ambassador. Moreover, his work raised his instrument to virtuoso status.

Widely considered a chief architect of the contemporary world-music movement, Zakir Hussain’s contributions were uniquely transformative. His unique mastery of rhythm allowed him to cross borders freely and create authentic connection between different genres of music. He participated in many historic collaborations, including Shakti (which he founded with John McLaughlin and L. Shankar), Remember Shakti, Making Music, The Diga Rhythm Band, Planet Drum and Global Drum Project with Mickey Hart, Tabla Beat Science, and Sangam with Charles Lloyd and Eric Harland. His performances and recordings include collaborations with artists as diverse as George Harrison, Yo-Yo Ma, Joe Henderson, Van Morrison, Airto Moreira, Pharoah Sanders, Billy Cobham, Alonzo King, Mark Morris, Rennie Harris, and the Kodo drummers. His extraordinary contributions to the music world were honored in April 2009 with four widely heralded, sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall’s Artist Perspective series.

Zakir Hussain was a prolific composer, creating concertos, scoring for film and collaborating with dance companies such as Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet and The Mark Morris Dance Group. Over his illustrious career, he earned numerous accolades, including two Grammy Awards with Mickey Hart for Planet Drum, and three more this past March: one with John McLaughlin and the band Shakti, and two for his collaborations with Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer, and Rakesh Chaurasia. Zakir is the first Indian to receive three Grammy Awards in one night.

Zakir Hussain’s extraordinary global impact was recognized with the highest honors that can be given in the world of music. His contributions “to the cultural and spiritual betterment of mankind” were acknowledged in 2022 with his awarding of the Kyoto Prize. In India, he received the Padma Vibhushan, the Padma Bhushan, and the Padma Shri. He was also a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, India’s most prestigious honor for performing artists, and later the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, a lifetime honor awarded to only 40 artists at a time. In the United States, Zakir Hussain was awarded the National Heritage Fellowship in 1999 by the National Endowment for the Arts, the nation’s highest lifetime honor for traditional artists. In 2017, he was honored with SFJazz’s Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his “unparalleled contribution to the world of music.” In 2022, he was awarded the Aga Khan Award for his “enduring contributions to the musical heritage of humanity, peerless musical mastery and sustained social impact.”

His prolific work as a teacher, mentor and educator has left an indelible mark on countless musicians. 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.