ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill dies at 72

HOUSTON (NewsNation Now) — ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill, one of the Texas blues trio’s bearded figures, died at his Houston home, the band announced Wednesday on Facebook. He was 72.

ZZ Top rose to prominence in the 1980s, embracing the then-new format of music videos to turn songs in short movies, most notably with “Legs” and “Sharp-Dressed Man,” both of which featured the iconic Eliminator Coupe, a 1933 Ford Coupe bought by Gibbons.

During the ’80s, the band amassed three Video Music Awards and gave memorable performances at the awards ceremonies. Two Grammys also came the band’s way, both for group performance (for the “Afterburner” and “Elminator” albums).

In their post, guitarist Billy Gibbons and drummer Frank Beard said Hill died in his sleep. No cause of death was listed, 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.

Born Joe Michael Hill in Dallas, he, Gibbons and Beard formed ZZ Top in Houston in the late 1970s, where they played in local venues until attracting the attention of record company executives and producers.

FILE – Dusty Hill of U.S. rock band ZZ Top performs on stage during their first concert in Germany in Hamburg, northern Germany, on Oct. 8, 2002. ZZ Top has announced that Hill, one of the Texas blues trio’s bearded figures and bassist, has died at his Houston home. He was 72. In a Facebook post, bandmates Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard revealed Wednesday, July 29, 2021, that Hill had died in his sleep. (AP Photo/Christof Stache, File)
FILE – Dusty Hill, of ZZ Top, performs before the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race in Concord, N.C., May 24, 2015. ZZ Top has announced that Hill, one of the Texas blues trio’s bearded figures and bassist, has died at his Houston home. He was 72. In a Facebook post, bandmates Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard revealed Wednesday, July 29, 2021, that Hill had died in his sleep. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn, File)
FILE – Dusty Hill of ZZ Top performs during the Stagecoach Festival on April 25, 2015, in Indio, Calif. ZZ Top has announced that Hill, one of the Texas blues trio’s bearded figures and bassist, has died at his Houston home. He was 72. In a Facebook post, bandmates Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard revealed Wednesday, July 29, 2021, that Hill had died in his sleep. (Photo by Paul A. Hebert/Invision/AP, File)
FILE – Dusty Hill of ZZ Top performs during the VH1 Rock Honors concert in Las Vegas on May 12, 2007. ZZ Top has announced that Hill, one of the Texas blues trio’s bearded figures and bassist, has died at his Houston home. He was 72. In a Facebook post, bandmates Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard revealed Wednesday, July 29, 2021, that Hill had died in his sleep. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
FILE – Dusty Hill, left, and Billy Gibbons from U.S rock band ZZ Top perform at the Glastonbury music festival in Somerset, England, June 24, 2016. ZZ Top has announced that Hill, one of the Texas blues trio’s bearded figures and bassist, has died at his Houston home. He was 72. In a Facebook post, bandmates Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard revealed Wednesday, July 29, 2021, that Hill had died in his sleep. (Photo by Jonathan Short/Invision/AP, File)
FILE – Dusty Hill, of ZZ Top, performs during the Crossroads Guitar Festival on June 26, 2010, in Chicago. ZZ Top has announced that Hill, one of the Texas blues trio’s bearded figures and bassist, has died at his Houston home. He was 72. In a Facebook post, bandmates Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard revealed Wednesday, July 29, 2021, that Hill had died in his sleep. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)
FILE – Bassist and vocalist Dusty Hill, from the US rock band, ZZ Top performs at the F1 Rocks concert on Sept. 25, 2009, in Singapore. ZZ Top has announced that Hill, one of the Texas blues trio’s bearded figures and bassist, has died at his Houston home. He was 72. In a Facebook post, bandmates Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard revealed Wednesday, July 29, 2021, that Hill had died in his sleep. (AP Photo/Joan Leong, File)