Zakir Hussain, one of the world's greatest tabla players, has died at the age of 73.

The Indian classical music icon died of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease, at a San Francisco hospital, his family said in a statement.

Hussain is a four-time Grammy Award winner and recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award.

Through his performances, he transformed the tabla into a globally acclaimed solo instrument that was the star of the show.

Historically the tabla - a pair of drums used in Indian classical music - was seen as an accompaniment to the main performance.

As the news of Hussain's death broke, tributes have started to pour in.

Nayan Ghosh, who plays the sitar and tabla, said the news was "devastating" and said she had been linked to Hussain 60 years back from childhood.

"He was a game-breaker, a game-changer, an icon who put tabla and Indian music on the world map by transcending genre boundaries and inspiring generations of artists," he said. ' BBC.

English guitarist John McLaughlin - who played with Hussain in the band Shakti - described him as "the King, whose rhythm became magic in his hands". Grammy-winning composer Ricky Kej called him "one of the greatest musicians and personalities India has ever produced".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him "a true genius who changed the world of Indian classical music".

Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi called Hussain's death "a great loss to the world of music", while the US embassy in India said he was a "true maestro" and would be " forever in our hearts”.

Born in Mumbai in 1951, Hussain began training under his father Ustad Allarakha Khan, himself a tabla maestro.

Hussain described growing up in a "24-hour-a-day musical atmosphere". By the age of seven, he was playing in concerts with his father.

"From the age of seven, I sat on stage with Abba while he played with so many great people. It was a living experience for me, and he let me all something I've heard over the years," he told Nasreen Munni Kabir, his biographer, in 2018.

When he was a teenager, he got the chance to play with the famous Indian musician Pandit Ravi Shankar. By 19, he was playing more than 150 concerts a year, both in India and internationally.

As his footprint grew, he contributed to the soundtracks of numerous films, performed solo and collaborated with artists on the world stage.

His 1992 album Planet Drum with drummer Mickey Hart won a Grammy in the first category of "Best World Music Album". He also played with famous artists such as George Harrison from the Beatles, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and Van Morrison.

Hussain went on to earn seven Grammy nominations, winning four of them.

Speaking to the BBC in 2016 about his worldwide popularity, he said, “This is music, not me. I am a worshiper of music, who performs it in front of people."

Historian Nasreen Munni Kabir noted that in his later years he became "one of the most popular patrons of Hindustani classical musicians and dancers".

But in the past 20 years, he had stopped joining the big names, instead playing mostly with younger musicians, music composer Shailaja Khanna told the BBC.

He used his star status to push younger Indian musicians to the world stage, she said.

"That's why young people were willing to pay 2,000 to 3,000 rupees ($23.59 to $35.38; £18.62 to £27.93) for a ticket which is very unusual for classical concerts."

Hussain had previously spoken of his own "good fortune" when it came to his music career.

"I'm one of those musicians who ended up with a big change in the world of music and I was carried by that wave," he explained.

"I had the good fortune to establish a never-ending relationship with music, and at the same time, the wave took me places."