Sarod virtuoso Amjad Ali Khan, sarangi exponent Kamal Sabri as well as film stars Akshay Kumar and Kamal Haasan paid rich tributes to Zakir Hussain, calling the tabla maestro a “phenomenon” and “one of the most loved Indian musician in the world”.
Hussain, 73, died at a San Francisco hospital from complications arising out of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, the family said on Monday.
Words fail me at this point, said Amjad Ali Khan in an X post.
“I am completely heartbroken and devastated to hear about Zakir Bhai. Ustad Zakir Hussain was a phenomenon. He was indeed one of the most loved musicians the world saw,” he wrote.
Sabri called Hussain’s death a “great loss” to all forms of music, be it Indian classical or global.
“He was an amazing musician who represented Indian music on the global stage for a long time,” he told PTI.
“He was an inspiration. It’s an irreparable loss… He was the most famous Indian musician world over,” classical vocalist Wasifuddin Dagar told PTI.