Very Much Breathing At The Moment: Tabla Maestro Zakir Hussain's Sister Says Amid Death Reports

Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain has been admitted to the ICU of a San Francisco hospital with heart-related problems, his friend and flautist Rakesh Chaurasia said on Sunday. Amid reports claiming that Hussain had died, his publicist confirmed to PTI that the percussionist is being treated at the San Francisco hospital and "has not passed". On social media, as the news of Hussain's death started surfacing, several ministers and fans posted mourning messages. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which confirmed Hussain's death, later deleted the post from X.

Ustad Zakir Hussain's sister and manager share updates on his health

Ustad Zakir Hussain's sister Khursheed told PTI that her brother is "very very critical" but is "very much breathing at the moment". "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," she said.

"I just want to request all the media not to follow wrong information about Zakir's passing. He is very much breathing at the moment. He is very very critical, but he's still with us. He has not yet gone. So, I will request (the media) not to spread this rumour by writing or saying that he has passed away. I feel so bad watching all this information on Facebook which is very wrong," she added.

The 73-year-old US-based musician, who has taken the tabla to the global stage, had been having blood pressure issues, added Hussain's manager Nirmala Bachani. "He has been admitted to a hospital in San Francisco for a heart-related problem for the last two weeks," Bachani said.

Zakir Hussain toured in November with Crosscurrents Trio

Zakir Hussain performed throughout the Fall season in the US and the UK. He toured extensively across continents with the Crosscurrents Trio, consisting of double bassist Dave Holland and saxophonist Chris Potter. Their last show was on November 26 in Paris. Hussain is married to Kathak dancer and teacher Antonia Minnecola. The couple has two daughters- Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi.

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 has collaborated with legendary musicians including The Beatles, John McLaughlin, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ravi Shankar and many more.