Ravi Shanker passed away at the age of 92 in San Dieago.
His widow Sukanya and daughter Anoushka, his sitar protégée, said he had been too frail to withstand the strain of surgery.
The sitar ustad or master had continued to perform, usually with his glamorous daughter Anoushka, who is a bestselling musician in her own right, and he gave his last concert just five weeks ago. His other daughter from a previous relationship is the American folk soul singer Norah Jones.
Both his talented daughters, Jones, then 26 and Anoushka who was two years younger, both were nominated for Grammy awards in 2005. He was lucky that they had been shortlisted in different categories. Anoushka got the Grammy nod for the best contemporary world album for Rise while Dreams Come True, a duet that Jones sang with Willie Nelson was nominated for the best country collaboration with vocals.
A.R Rahman, the Grammy-winning composer, said "Indian Classical Music has lost its chief ambassador … May God bless his soul."
See Norah with Oprah here.
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