Indian music lovers, including singer Adnan Sami, were left furious after tabla maestro and four-time Grammy winner Zakir Hussain was excluded from the In Memoriam segment at the 67th Grammy Awards. His absence from the section has sparked outrage on social media, with fans calling out the organisers for failing to honour the legendary musician.
Adnan Sami also took to his official social media account to react to the snub.
Along with a picture of the late tabla maestro, the 'Tera Chehra' singer wrote, "Dear Grammys, In your 'Memoriam', you inexcusably missed mentioning the passing away of the Greatest Tabla Player in the World who was also a 4 Time Grammy Winner - Ustad ZAKIR HUSSAIN from India... SHAME ON YOU."
Zakir Hussain passed away at the age of 73 in San Francisco in December 2024. He died due to complications arising out of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, the family had said in a statement.
Grammys 2025 took place on Sunday at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, where the annual In Memoriam montage paid tribute to late industry icons. However, Zakir Hussain was not included in the segment.
Many social media users took to X (formerly known as Twitter), tagging the Recording Academy and expressing disappointment over the omission. A section of users also demanded an explanation for the snub.
It may be mentioned that the tabla maestro made history last year as the first Indian musician to win three Grammys in a single night.
During the event, the Grammys honoured musicians such as Liam Payne, Kris Kristofferson, Cissy Houston, Tito Jackson, Joe Chambers, Jack Jones, Mary Martin, Marianne Faithfull, Seiji Ozawa, and Ella Jenkins.
Singer Chris Martin, who recently completed his India tour, performed the 'In Memoriam tribute' with guitarist Grace Bowers.
