Sitar Hero Ravi Shankar Dead at 92

The Indian sitar maestro George Harrison called the "father of world music" has died in California at the age of 92, Reuters reports. Ravi Shankar was already famous in his homeland when he introduced the Beatles to the sitar, bridging the gap between Eastern and Western music and achieving worldwide fame. He had heart-valve replacement surgery last week, but "his body was not able to withstand the strain," his family said in a statement. He is survived by his wife and his two daughters, fellow sitar virtuoso Anoushka Shankar and jazz singer Norah Jones. (More Ravi Shankar stories.)