Zakir Hussain, the legendary tabla maestro, percussionist and composer, died on Monday in San Francisco due to complications from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He was 73. Zakir Hussain was hospitalised for two weeks before being moved to the ICU when his condition worsened. Since his death, tributes have poured in from across the world. Amitabh Bachchan, deeply affected by the loss, shared a message on X (formerly Twitter). In his post, Big B wrote, “Still not able to digest the loss of Ustad Zakir Hussain... so many personal and private moments, just a wonderful pleasant memory now.”
On Monday, Amitabh Bachchan paid tribute to the legendary Ustad Zakir Hussain on his blog. The megastar wrote, “A genius .. an unmatched maestro ..an immeasurable loss ..Zakir Hussain .. has left us ..."
Apart from Amitabh Bachchan, several other prominent figures from the entertainment industry also paid tribute to Zakir Hussain. Kamal Haasan shared a throwback image of the tabla maestro. Kamal Haasan wrote, "Zakir Bhai ! He left too soon. Yet we are grateful for the times he gave us and what he left behind in the form of his art. Goodbye and Thank you."
Akshay Kumar also mourned Zakir Hussain's death. The actor wrote, "Very pained to know about the sad demise of Ustad Zakir Hussain Saab. He was truly a treasure for our country's musical heritage. Om Shanti."
Filmmaker-actor Nandita Das also shared a post for Zakir Hussain. She posted a collection of pictures with the maestro, who composed the background score for her film Manto, which featured Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the titular role. Nandita Das wrote, "Shocked and deeply saddened. An irreplaceable loss. The news feels unreal. It always will. Zakirbhai, you will be missed and how. You went too soon." She continued, "I have been looking through photos from 2017-18, and memories of working with him on the background score of Manto came alive. One phone call and he said yes to the film. We worked in LA, on Zoom, in Mumbai. We argued, we laughed, we talked. I had the privilege of watching, observing and learning from him. I had some unfinished conversations that I was hoping to continue with him someday."
Read her full note below:
Zakir Hussain is survived by his wife, Antonia Minnecola and their daughters, Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi.