HOUSTON — ZZ Top bass guitarist Dusty Hill passed away Wednesday at his home in Houston, according to a post on the band’s Facebook page.
In a Facebook post Wednesday, guitarist Billy Gibbons and drummer Frank Beard said Hill had died in his sleep. They didn't give a cause of death, but a July 21 post on the band's website said Hill was “on a short detour back to Texas, to address a hip issue.”
At that time, the band said its longtime guitar tech, Elwood Francis, would fill in on bass, slide guitar and harmonica.
The post reads:
"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'. We will forever be connected to that "Blues Shuffle in C.
“You will be missed greatly, amigo.
“Frank & Billy”
Born Joe Michael Hill in Dallas, he, Gibbons and Beard formed ZZ Top in Houston in the late 1960s.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner tweeted, "Thank you for sharing your extraordinary gift of music with us! Your legacy will forever live on."