Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain’s nephew on Sunday dismissed news reports of his uncle’s death and urged the misinformation to be removed.

Shortly after the news media reported that the 73-year-old tabla maestro had died, social media platforms were flooded with condolences.

Hussain, the son of legendary tabla player Ustad Allah Rakha, was admitted to the intensive care unit of a San Francisco hospital with heart problems.

“My uncle Zakir Hussain is still alive and we would like to request the news media not to publish misinformation. We ask for prayers and we ask for everyone’s good wishes,” nephew Ameer Aulia said in a post on X.

In another post, Aulia urged that this misinformation be removed.

“He is in a serious condition and we ask all his fans around the world to pray for his health,” Aulia added.

Earlier, Hussain’s manager Nirmala Bachani said that the 73-year-old US musician, who brought the tabla to the world stage, was having problems with blood pressure.

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also expressed his deepest condolences.

— Hussain has received five Grammy Awards in his career, including three at the 66th Grammy Awards earlier this year.

— The musician has collaborated with several renowned international and Indian artists, but it was his 1973 musical project with English guitarist John McLaughlin, violinist L Shankar and drummer TH “Vikku” Vinayakram that up to that point incorporated Indian classical and elements of Jazz united in a fusion unknown.