UPDATE: Ustad Zakir Hussain very much with us, in ICU in San Francisco

UPDATE: We deeply regret that an earlier version of this article published at 10:40 p.m. on 15 December reported the maestro's demise, when in fact he was still in hospital, very much among us. We owe our readers our deepest apologies, but more so to Ustad Zakir Hussain's family and friends at this fraught time, as an entire nation now hopes and prays for his speedy return to health. — Ed

Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain has been admitted to the ICU of a San Francisco hospital with heart-related problems, his family and friends said on Sunday, 15 December.

Earlier in the evening on 15 December, Hussain's good friend and colleague, flautist flautist Rakesh Chaurasia mentioned that he had been hospitalised over cardiac issues in San Francisco.

Hussain's manager Nirmala Bachani had also corroborated Chaurasia's report, saying he was suffering from blood pressure fluctuations. The 73-year-old US-based musician, who has taken the tabla to the global stage, had been having blood pressure issues, said Hussain's manager Nirmala Bachani.

"He has been admitted to a hospital in San Francisco for a heart-related problem for the last two weeks," Bachani said.

Amid reports claiming that Hussain had died, his sister Khursheed Aulia told PTI that her brother is "very very critical" but is "very much breathing at the moment".

"My brother is deeply ill at this time. We are asking all his fans around India and around the world to pray for him, to pray for his health. But as India's greatest ever exports, do not finish him off just yet," she said.

"I just want to request all the media not to follow wrong information about Zakir's passing. He is very much breathing at the moment. He is very very critical, but he's still with us. He has not yet gone. So, I will request (the media) not to spread this rumour by writing or saying that he has passed away. I feel so bad watching all this information on Facebook which is very wrong," she added.

Hussain's publicist also confirmed to PTI that the percussionist is being treated at the San Francisco hospital and "has not passed".

Earlier, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced Hussain's death on its page on X, but later deleted the post. So did many other leading lights in various walks of society as well as various newspapers and news sites (ED: including, we regret, ourselves).

Chaurasia too told PTI, "He is unwell and admitted in the ICU right now. We all are worried about the situation."

As concern mounted over Hussain's health, senior broadcast journalist Pervaiz Alam also took to X to share the news, citing the musician's brother-in-law Ayub Aulia.

"Ustad Zakir Hussain, Tabla player, percussionist, composer, former actor and the son of legendary Tabla player, Ustad Allah Rakha is not well. He's being treated for serious ailments in a San Francisco hospital, USA, informed his brother-in-law, Ayub Aulia in a phone call with me. Aulia sahab, based in London, has requested Zakir's followers to pray for his speedy recovery," he wrote in a post.

An unverified X handle for Ameer Aulia, claiming to be his nephew, also posted before PTI had reported his sister Khurshid's statement, asking for prayers and requesting the removal of misinformation.

Less than a year ago, Ustad Zakir Hussain was making history again at the Grammys, picking up his latest three awards with fusion group Shakti, bringing his total to five.

The percussionist who popularised tabla on the world stage is one of India’s most celebrated and most recognisable musicians — even those who may have missed his Padma Shri in 1988, his Padma Bhushan in 2002 and his Padma Vibhushan in 2023 likely recall instantly his 'Wah, Taj!' ads for Tata Tea.

Hussain is, of course, a classical musician by long training — but he went well beyond that, a musical enthusiast far beyond the limits of any gharana.

At first, India knew him as a 'Hindustani' artiste, son of Ustad Allah Rakha and a young prodigy in his own right, and sat down to hear him weave magic alongside Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. But the whole world would sit up and take notice when he entered into a jugalbandi with jazz, in his 1973 musical project with English guitarist John McLaughlin, violinist L. Shankar and percussionist T.H. 'Vikku' Vinayakram.

As tributes poured in on 15 December, accompanied by musical memories, some also recalled his humour — and his love for cricket. And his pride in being Indian, as much as he was a global citizen. (Ed: Many of the tributes, like the IB ministry's tweet, have since been deleted.)

The maestro has two daughters, Isabella and Anisa Qureshi, with his wife Kathak dancer Antonia Minnecola.

With PTI inputs