Indian Sitar Maestro Ravi Shankar Dies

Indian sitar master and composer Ravi Shankar has died near his home in southern California at age 92.

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5 months ago

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Ravi Shankar

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Famed sitar master Ravi Shankar - renowned for popularising Indian music around the globe - has died. The three-time Grammy winner was 92 years old, and had been in fragile health for several years. He was admitted to hospital last week after complaining of breathlessness. He underwent surgery last Thursday, but was unable to recover. The night before his surgery he was nominated for a Grammy for his last album "The Living Room Sessions, Part 1". Shankar is widely credited with bringing traditional Indian music to the rest of the world through his work with violinist Yehudi Menuhin as well the Beatles in the late 1960s. He skyrocketed to global stardom after legendary appearances at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock in 1969. He was awarded India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1999. Ravi Shankar lived in both India and the United States. He is survived by daughters Norah Jones, who is also a multi-Grammy-winning performer - and Anoushka Shankar, an accomplished sitar player and composer.