Indian tabla maestro Zakir Hussain dies at 73 in San Francisco

Zakir Hussain, a prolific player of the Indian tabla hand drums who helped bring Indian classical music to an international audience, died Sunday in San Francisco. He was 73.

He died of pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic disease that causes lung scarring, a family spokesperson Jon Bleicher said in a statement.

In the course of his career — which began at age 12 when he started touring — Hussain collaborated with a range of musicians, including George Harrison of the Beatles, jazz saxophonist Charles Lloyd and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.