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Indian drummer Zakir Hussain dies at 73

Hussain’s group Shakti this year won the Grammy for best global music album for their record ‘This Moment’

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Indian drum maestro Zakir Hussain performing in Delhi in 2009. Photo: Mustafa Quraishi

Indian musician Zakir Hussain, a four-time Grammy award winner credited with turning tabla drums into an instrument loved globally, has died at the age of 73, officials said on Monday.

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Hussain collaborated with musicians including George Harrison from The Beatles, Mickey Hart from The Grateful Dead and jazz musician John Handy in a career spanning decades.

He died of a lung disease in the United States, local media reported, quoting a statement from his family.

Tributes poured in with fellow musician Amjad Ali Khan – who plays the Indian lutelike sarod – saying Hussain would “continue to bring the house down in the heavens”.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he would be “remembered as a true genius who revolutionised the world of Indian classical music”.

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Modi said he “brought the tabla to the global stage, captivating millions with his unparalleled rhythm”.

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