Renowned tabla maestro Zakir Hussain left his fans and this world with a beautiful glimpse of nature narrated in his serene voice which was his last post on Instagram.
The celebrated percussionist died at the age of 73 at a hospital in San Francisco, his family said on Monday. He had been hospitalised for the last two weeks in the US and was later taken to the ICU after his health condition deteriorated. He died due to complications arising out of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, according to his family.
In his last Instagram post, the four-time Grammy Award winner shared a heartfelt video of a picturesque Chicago street capturing the beauty of changing autumn leaves swaying gently in the breeze.
Accompanying the video was his calm voice narrating the scenery in front of him: “Trees changing colours, gently swaying in the wind, so beautiful to watch. The movement is so graceful, so unbelievable. I wanna walk out here in Champaign, Illinois."
Recipient of the Padma Shri, Zakir Hussain was born in Mumbai on March 9, 1951, as the eldest son of tabla legend Ustad Alla Rakha. His musical journey began at the age of 13 and soon gained fame nationally and worldwide.
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In his musical career spanning six decades, Hussain collaborated with several Indian and international artists but it was in 1973 when he worked with English guitarist John McLaughlin, violinist L Shankar, and percussionist TH 'Vikku' Vinayakram that brought together Indian classical and elements of jazz in a fusion hitherto unknown.
Apart from Padma Shri which he received in 1988, he was also conferred with the Padma Bhushan in 2002 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2003.
He is survived by his wife Antonia Minnecola and his daughters, Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi.