ZZ Top’s longtime bassist Dusty Hill has died, the band announced in a statement Wednesday. He was 72.
“We are saddened by the news today that our Compadre, Dusty Hill, has passed away in his sleep at home in Houston,” the group shared. “We, along with legions of ZZ Top fans around the world, will miss your steadfast presence, your good nature and enduring commitment to providing that monumental bottom to the ‘Top.’ We will forever be connected to that ‘Blues Shuffle in C.'”
“You will be greatly missed, amigo,” bandmates Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard concluded in their statement.
The band was on tour when it announced July 23 that Hill, who joined the band in 1970, was heading home “to address a hip issue.” Per ZZ Top’s Facebook page, Hill had said that “the show must go on,” and so their guitar tech of 20 years, Elwood Francis, filled in to play slide guitar, bass, and harmonica. Their statement noted at the time that they were expecting Hill to have a “speedy recovery” and to return to the band soon.
The band’s U.S. tour is currently scheduled to run through the end of the year, with the final show set for Dec. 12 in Midland, Texas.
This story first appeared on billboard.com
