Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain admitted to ICU in San Francisco

Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain has been admitted to the ICU of a San Francisco hospital with heart-related problems, his friend and flautist Rakesh Chaurasia said on Sunday.

The 73-year-old US-based musician, who has taken the tabla to the global stage, had been having blood pressure issues, added 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.

“He is unwell and admitted in the ICU right now. We all are worried about the situation,” Chaurasia said.

There were reports in the media that Husain had passed away, with several people paying tributes to the maestro, but there was no official statement from the family or hospital authorities.