Pandit Ravi Shankar, the best known contemporary Indian musician, died Tuesday evening in San Diego, Calif. He was 92. The sitar star's website announced his death. "Shankar had suffered from upper-respiratory and heart issues over the past year and underwent heart-valve replacement surgery last Thursday. Though the surgery was successful, recovery proved too difficult for the 92-year-old musician."His family also released a statement: "We know that you all feel our loss with us, and we thank you for all of your prayers and good wishes through this difficult time. 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. His spirit and his legacy will live on forever in our hearts and in his music."Shankar's final performance, on Nov. 4 in Long Beach, Calif., was billed as a celebration of his 10th decade of making music. But it was his association with the Beatles -- in particular, guitarist George Harrison -- in the 1960s that helped introduce Shankar to a global audience.

Shankar maintained residences in both India and the United States. Survivors include his wife Sukanya; daughter Norah Jones; daughter Anoushka Shankar Wright; her husband Joe Wright; three grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Source@nbc