His collaborators included John McLaughlin, Béla Fleck, Ravi Shankar, Herbie Hancock, Yo-Yo Ma and members of the Grateful Dead.

Zakir Hussain, an Indian classical musician who has been called 'the greatest tabla player of his generation,' has died at age 73 of lung disease.

The late legendary tabla maestro, Zakir Hussain's mother, never wanted him to follow in the footsteps of his father, Alla Rakha, because of one major reason.