Many celebrities, including Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan and Akshay Kumar, bid an emotional farewell to tabla player Zakir Hussain through social media posts on Monday, December 16. Zakir Hussain died in a hospital in San Francisco due to complications arising from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. His family confirmed on 16 December. He was 73 years old.

Kareena Kapoor shared an old picture of her meeting with Hussain. He wrote, “Ustad forever.”

Amitabh Bachchan dedicated a blog post to Zakir Hussain, writing, “A genius…an unmatched maestro…an irreparable loss…Zakir Hussain…has left us.”

AR Rahman shared a post on X& Expressed condolences on the demise of Hussain“Inna lillahi wa inna ilahi rajiun. Zakir Bhai was an inspiration, a great personality who brought Tabla to global fame. His loss is irreparable for all of us. I regret that I have not been able to collaborate with him as much as we did decades ago, although we had planned an album together. You will truly be missed. “May his family and his countless students around the world find strength to bear this immense loss.”

Kamal Haasan shared an old picture with Hussain on X and also wrote an emotional note, “Zakir Bhai! He left very quickly. Yet we are grateful for the time he gave us and what he left us in the form of his art. Goodbye and thank you (sic).”

Akshay Kumar shared a post on Instagram and condoled the death of the table player.

Grammy-winner Ricky Cage was devastated, he said in his tribute post for Zakir Hussain.

“Shocked, deeply saddened and devastated by the demise of the legendary Ustad Zakir Hussain. One of the greatest musicians and personalities India has ever produced. As well as being one of the best himself, Zakirji was known for his immense humility, friendly nature and for being responsible for the careers of many musicians who are now able to keep up with his own. He was a wealth of skill and knowledge and always shared and encouraged the entire music community through collaborations and his works. His legacy will live on forever and his impact will be felt for generations. They left us too soon,” he wrote.

National Award winning actor Nithya Menen remembered Zakir Hussain with these words, “I will have one regret – the day will never truly come when I will see this extraordinary artiste perform live. What a special soul, with a pure connection A true artist. There was such a playfulness and lightness in his music that made me laugh, along with being a classical instrument. Because of immense talent, one of my two favorite people is now gone.”

Zakir Hussain, widely considered to be the greatest tabla player of his generation, is survived by his wife, Antonia Minnecola, and daughters, Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi.

Born on 9 March 1951, he was the son of renowned tabla player Ustad Allah Rakha. As one of India’s most renowned classical musicians, he was awarded the Padma Shri in 1988, the Padma Bhushan in 2002, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2023.