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Ravi Shankar, Indian Sitar Star, Dies

Originally posted 12/12/2012 07:00AM

Ravi Shankar, the Indian sitarist and composer whose collaborations with Western musicians – both classical and rock – made him a familiar concert name by the late '60s and earned him the title "godfather of world music," died Tuesday in a hospital near his home in Southern California, his family said. He was 92.

Shankar's foundation said in a statement that he had suffered upper respiratory and heart problems and had undergone heart-valve replacement surgery last week, reports the Associated Press.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also confirmed Shankar's death, calling him a "national treasure."

But it was his daughter, singer Norah Jones, who honed in on his legacy: "My Dad's music touched millions of people. He will be greatly missed by me and music lovers everywhere."

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