Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain critical, says family

Guwahati: Social media was inundated with reports of death of tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain on Sunday night, prompting an outpouring of condolence messages from fans and various circles worldwide.

These claims were however quickly refuted by his family, who called for an end to the spread of misinformation.

They said that the legendary musician is still alive but in serious condition, urging fans worldwide to pray for his recovery.

Union ministers, chief ministers and other prominent figures took to X to pay tribute to Hussain following reports of his death, although there was no official statement from his family.

Even the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced Zakir Hussain's death on its X handle, but later deleted the post.

The 73-year-old musician has been admitted to the ICU of a San Francisco hospital due to heart-related issues.

He was reportedly dealing with blood pressure problems.

Zakir Hussain, renowned as one of the greatest percussionists of all time, is the son of the legendary tabla maestro Ustad Allah Rakha.

Hussain, a five-time Grammy winner, won three more awards earlier this year at the 66th Grammy Awards.