Indian tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain in US hospital in serious condition; sister dispels death news
Indian tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain has been admitted to a hospital in the USA and his condition is critical. Amid reports that he passed away, his sister Khurshid Aulia told news agency PTI that he is alive but in a serious condition.
"My brother is deeply ill at this time. We are asking for all his fans around India and around the world to pray for him, to pray for his health. But as India's greatest ever exports, do not finish him off just yet," Zakir Hussain's sister Khurshid Aulia told news agency PTI.
Senior journalist Pervaiz Alam earlier shared an update about Hussain's health condition quoting his family member on X when he wrote: "Ustad Zakir Hussain, Tabla player, percussionist, composer, former actor and the son of legendary Tabla player, Ustad Allah Rakha is not well. He’s being treated for serious ailments in a San Francisco hospital, USA, informed his brother-in-law, Ayub Aulia in a phone call with me."
Ustad Zakir Hussain, Tabla player, percussionist, composer, former actor and the son of legendary Tabla player, Ustad Allah Rakha is not well. He’s being treated for serious ailments in a San Francisco hospital, USA, informed his brother in law, Ayub Aulia in a phone call with… pic.twitter.com/6YPGj9bjSp
— Pervaiz Alam (@pervaizalam) December 15, 2024
"Aulia sahab, based in London, has requested Zakir’s followers to pray for his speedy recovery," he said.
In his illustrious career that spanned decades, Zakir Hussain was awarded the Padma Shri in 1988, the Padma Bhushan in 2002, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2023, by the Government of India.
He received three Grammys in February 2024.
In 1999, the Tabla maestro was awarded the United States National Endowment for the Arts' National Heritage Fellowship, the highest award given to traditional artists and musicians.
He is the son of tabla legend Alla Rakha.
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