The world’s greatest ever sitar player Ravi Shankar has died in a hospital in the USA, aged 92. The legendary maestro was hospitalized last week to have an operation, but never fully recovered. His wife Sukanya and daughter Anoushka, also an accomplished sitarist, were by his side when he passed away. They issued a statement to say: “Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the surgeons and doctors taking care of him, his body was not able to withstand the strain of the surgery." They added: "Although it is a time for sorrow and sadness, it is also a time for all of us to give thanks and to be grateful that we were able to have him as a part of our lives. He will live forever in our hearts and in his music."

Ravi Shankar was born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury on 7 April 1920 in Varanasi on the banks of the River Ganges. He started learning the sitar when he was 26. Sixteen years later he was touring Europe and the USA helping to increase the popularity of Indian classical music. His major break came when he taught George Harrison of The Beatles to play the sitar. He went on to have a huge influence on Western popular music and became an international superstar. He said in an interview in 2011: "Everywhere I went, I was recognised. I didn't like that at all." Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described him as a "national treasure and global ambassador of India's cultural heritage".