Eminent tabla player Zakir Hussain (73) passed away today. Hussain was struggling with heart problems. Hussain’s manager Nirmala Bachani said in a statement that the tabla player was also suffering from blood pressure disorders. Earlier, it was learned that Zakir Hussain was undergoing treatment in the ICU at a hospital in San Francisco.
Ustad Zakir Hussain was born on 9 March 1951 in Mumbai. He was the eldest son of the eminent tabla player Allah Rakha. He received music training at an early age. He did his primary education from St. Michael’s High School in Mahim, Mumbai and later graduated from St. Xavier’s College. Hussain got married to Kathak dancer and teacher Antonia Minecola. They have two daughters Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi. Zakir Hussain also acted in some films ‘Saaz’, ‘Heat and Dust’. His recent film was ‘Monkey Man’, which was released this year. Industrialist Harsh Goenka and other personalities have expressed grief over the demise of Zakir Hussain.
Earlier, Hussain’s friend and bansuri player Rakesh Chaurasia had claimed that the tabla player has been kept in the ICU at a hospital in San Francisco. A source close to Hussain said that the US-based musician is suffering from blood pressure problem. – IANS/News-Patiala