ZZ Top's Longtime Bassist Dusty Hill Dies At Age 72

ZZ Top's longtime bassist, Dusty Hill, has passed away at age 72 following hospitalization for a hip issue.

Dusty's bandmates -- Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard -- confirmed the tragic news saying, "We are saddened by the news today that our Compadre, Dusty Hill, has passed away in his sleep at home in Houston, TX.  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.'"

They continued, "We will forever be connected to that "Blues Shuffle in C. You will be missed greatly, amigo."

At this point, it is unclear if Dusty's death is connected to his recent health scare which included some sort of hip injury that he was receiving treatment for in the past week. The hip issue forced dusty to bow out of a series of concerts with the band -- who recently addressed the situation -- making it appear he would be back in no time.

"The members of ZZ Top, Billy, and Frank, would like to share that Dusty, their fearless Bass player, is on a short detour back to Texas, to address a hip issue. They await a speedy recovery and have him back pronto. Per Dusty’s request “The show must go on!”. With that directive, ZZ Top has put the services of Mr. Elwood Francis, their trusted guitar tech of the past two decades, into play with his slide guitar, bass guitar, and harmonica playing in full swing," the band shared on Facebook. 

They continued, “And with Elwood to our right, rest assured ZZ Top will deliver their good time, signature show”, said Billy F Gibbons. “Billy’s big guitar, crushing drums from Mr. Beard, and Elwood securing the bottom end continues the delivery with those famous three chords we all dig."

As of this moment, the band is scheduled to play a show tonight in Simpsonville, SC, but it could be canceled due to the tragic passing of their bandmate.

Dusty is one of the founding members of ZZ Top and was the lead bass player and vocalist for the band since its launch in 1969. For those of you not familiar with their music, he was one-half of the two famous bearded and sunglasses-wearing bandmates making up their iconic image. The other being Billy Gibbons.

The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In the beginning, ZZ Top launched into the mainstream music scene in the 1970s and put out 15 albums over their illustrious career.

R.I.P.