Mumbai, Dec 16 Reports of the demise of legendary tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, initially confirmed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and various sources, now appear to be false and inaccurate.
As the news spread rapidly, an X user claiming to be Ustad Zakir Hussain's nephew posted: "I am Zakir Hussain's nephew and he has not passed away. We ask for prayers for my Uncle's health. Can you please remove this misinformation? He is in a serious condition and we ask for all his fans around the world to pray for his health."
Another publication quoted his sister, Khurshid Aalia, who said that Zakir Hussain is alive but in a very critical condition.
Earlier reports claimed that Zakir Hussain passed away at a San Francisco hospital due to heart ailments.
Zakir Hussain's death news was shared by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as well. Many leaders, including Amit Shah and Rahul Gandhi, posted condolence messages for him.
Earlier, it was learned through Hussain's manager Nirmala Bachani that Zakir Hussain had been admitted to a hospital in San Francisco after experiencing heart-related problems.
Ustad Zakir Hussain, the renowned tabla player, was born on March 9, 1951, in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
As the eldest son of the illustrious tabla player Allah Rakha, he was naturally inclined towards music from a very young age. He completed his initial education from St. Michael's High School in Mahim, Mumbai. Later, he graduated from St. Xavier's College.
Hussain married Antonia Minnecola, a Kathak dancer and teacher. They have two daughters Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi.
Zakir Hussain also acted in a few movies including 'Saaz', 'Heat and Dust'. His most recent film 'Monkey Man' released in 2024.
According to a few reports he was offered to play Salim's role in 'Mughal-E-Azam' which later went to Dilip Kumar.
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