Rockers We’ve Lost In 2012: Ravi Shankar

World renowned musician Ravi Shankar passed away on Dec. 11, 2012. He was 92-years-old. The man who introduced the sitar to the western world, Shankar's music influenced countless young musicians in the mid '60s, most famously, George Harrison, who helped introduce the instrument to the pop world.

Shankar recorded several records for World Pacific from the mid-'50s on, which at some point found their way into the hands of the likes of Harrison, Roger McGuinn, David Crosby and many more. The droning ambience of the sitar would color the sound of rock music from the mid-to-late '60s. Records ranging from the Kinks' 'See My Friends' to the Beatles 'Norwegian Wood' would adopt that style, if not full use of the actual instrument.

Shankar also sired two musical children as well, as singer-songwriter Norah Jones and Grammy-nominated sitar player and composer Anoushka Shankar followed in their father’s footsteps.