Organisers of the Recording Academy announced on 13 December 2012 that Pandit Ravi Shankar, the sitar maestro would be honoured with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously. Pandit Ravi Shankar would become first Indian to receive the prestigious award. The award would be presented at 55th Grammy Awards ceremony on 10 February 2013 in Los Angeles. Pandit Ravi Shankar is a three-time Grammy Award winner.

Pandit Ravi Shankar, 92 had passed away on 11 December 2012 after heart-valve replacement surgery in California. The organisers had decided to honour Pandit Ravi Shankar before his dismissal and he was also notified about this personally.
Ravi Shankar is said to be a pioneer for introducing Indian music to Western world. The most well-known Sitar player of not just India, but the world, he is also said to be ambassador of the international music.
 
For the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, Shankar’s The Living Room Sessions Part 1, which was released in April, has been nominated for the category of Best World Music Album. It is important to note here that his daughter Anoushka Shankar has also been nominated in this category for the album Traveller. Shankar performed for the last time on 4 November 2012 in California with his daughter Anoushka Shankar.
 
Apart from Pandit Ravi Shankar, others who would be receiving the lifetime achievement Grammy award are Temptations, Carole King, Patti Page, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Glenn Gould and Charlie Haden.
 
Other honours received by Pandit Ravi Shankar

•Apart from being three times Grammy Award winner, Ravi Shankar has also been honoured with over 14 honourary doctorates from across the world.
•He was honoured with Bharat Ratna, the highest honour of India.
•Other honours include Polar Music Prize from Sweden which is also referred as the Nobel Prize for Music, Praemium Imperiale from Japan, Commandeur de la Legion d'Honneur, which is the highest French civilian award, Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire awarded by Queen Elizabeth.

Pandit Ravi Shankar, the Indian sitar Maestro Passed away in California