Dusty Hill, longtime bassist for ZZ Top, has died according to TMZ.
Hill passed away at the age of 72 at his home in Houston, Texas.
Band members Billy F. Gibbons and Frank Beard shared the following statement:
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.
It's unclear at this time if Hill's passing had anything to do with a "hip issue" that forced him to go home last week, according to a post on the band's Facebook page.
ZZ Top started in 1969 and Hill served as the band's bass player and second vocalist for the overwhelming majority of their existence, having joined in 1970.
Hill was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of ZZ Top in 2004.