New Delhi: Indian tabla legend Zakir Hussain, a four-time Grammy winner, was notably excluded from the 'In Memoriam' segment during the 67th Grammy Awards ceremony, sparking outrage among his fans in India. Hussain, who passed away on December 15 from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 73, was acknowledged on the Recording Academy’s official website but was absent from the live tribute shown during the ceremony.
The Grammy Awards, organized by the Recording Academy, took place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday. The ‘In Memoriam’ segment of the ceremony honors musicians who passed away in the previous year, and Hussain's omission from this live tribute left many fans disappointed.
In addition to Hussain, ghazal legend Pankaj Udhas, folk singer Sharda Sinha, and sarod virtuoso Aashish Khan were also featured on the In Memoriam list posted on the Recording Academy’s website. However, they were not part of the live tribute that aired during the ceremony.
Hussain, who became the first Indian musician to win three Grammy Awards in one year, had made history at last year’s Grammys. His death was a significant loss to the music world, and many felt his absence in the live tribute was a missed opportunity for recognition.
Zakir Hussain with his Grammy awards.
During the Grammy telecast, musicians such as Liam Payne, Kris Kristofferson, Cissy Houston, Tito Jackson, and Joe Chambers were honored in the segment. Chris Martin of Coldplay, fresh from the India leg of the band's Music of the Spheres world tour, performed the tribute with guitarist Grace Bowers, singing his song “All My Love” in honor of the departed artists.
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However, some fans expressed their dissatisfaction on X, with several posts tagging the Recording Academy about the oversight. One user wrote, “How come no mention of Zakir Hussain in Grammy obituary #Grammys2025 he was a winner last year?” Another tweeted, “Big miss. I didn’t see @RecordingAcad mention Zakir Hussain in the memoriam section. #GRAMMYs.”
Others criticized the omission, with one user saying, “Shame not to see 4-time winner and multiple-time nominee Zakir Hussain in the Grammy tribute to artists lost recently. Real shame. #GRAMMYs #Grammys2025 #ZakirHussain.”
The official In Memoriam list also featured other Indian musicians, including Bengali composer Ashima Bhattacharya, folk artist Darshanam Mogilaiah, Carnatic singer and composer K.G. Jayan, chenda artist Kelath Aravindakshan Marar, music director and theatre artist Malabar Manoharan, Musafir Ram Bhardwaj (known for playing the paun mata), Tamil music composer Praveen Kumar, folk singer Sakini Ramachandraih, Tamil playback singer Uma Ramanan, and Kannada music composer Vijay Anand.
This year’s ceremony was hosted by Trevor Noah, marking his fifth consecutive time as the Grammys’ emcee. The 2025 Grammy Awards were streamed live on Disney+ Hotstar in India.
With PTI inputs