Fans slam Grammys 2025 for excluding tabla maestro Zakir Hussain from In Memoriam section

Every year, the Grammys pay tribute to industry legends who passed away in the previous year through their In Memoriam montage. However, this year, the 67th award ceremony left Indian music lovers disappointed by excluding legendary tabla maestro Zakir Hussain from the segment.

(Also Read: A brother remembers: Zakir Bhai was father figure, friend and brother, says Taufiq Qureshi)

The awards ceremony, organised by the Recording Academy, was held on Sunday at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Coldplay’s frontman, Chris Martin, 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 as he performed the 'In Memoriam' tribute at the 67th Grammys. However, social media users were disappointed that Zakir Hussain, a four-time Grammy winner, was not included in the tribute.

Fans express disappointment on social media

Fans flooded X (formerly Twitter) with posts calling out the organisers. Sharing Chris Martin’s performance, which paid tribute to musicians like Liam Payne and others, one X user wrote, "Dude, where the hell is Ustaad Zakir Hussain???"

Expressing disappointment, another X user wrote, "How come there was no mention of Zakir Hussain in the Grammy obituary? #Grammys2025 He was a winner just last year."

Another tweet read, "Mind-boggling that Zakir Hussain wasn’t given a tribute tonight. He won four Grammys himself and was a huge influence even on Western culture."

One more user wrote, "How did you guys forget to include #GRAMMYs winner from 2024, Ustad Zakir Hussain, in your 'In Memoriam' segment? @RecordingAcad #Grammys2025 @coldplay."

A furious fan added, "Just last year, Zakir Hussain won three Grammys, and he didn’t even get included in the tribute section. Idiots!"

Zakir Hussain’s achievements

Zakir Hussain made history at the 66th Grammy Awards, becoming the first Indian musician to win three trophies in a single night. He won in the categories of Best Global Music Performance, Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, and Best Global Music Album. He was one of India's most celebrated classical musicians, honoured with the Padma Shri in 1988, the Padma Bhushan in 2002, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2023.

The tabla maestro passed away at the age of 73 in San Francisco in December 2024 due to complications arising from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease. Hundreds of fans gathered at his funeral to pay their last respects. Legendary percussionist Sivamani and several other musicians played drums at a distance to honour him.