ZZ Top bassist and vocalist Dusty Hill has died, aged 72.
The veteran blues rock band announced his death in a statement on Instagram on Thursday (NZ time).
"We are saddened by the news today that our Compadre, Dusty Hill, has passed away in his sleep at home in Houston," the 'Legs' hitmakers wrote.
"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'... You will be missed greatly, amigo."
Hill had recently missed some shows for the first time in decades after a recent hip injury.
The three-piece ZZ Top first hit the charts in the 1970s with stripped-back blues rock songs like 'Tush', before becoming superstars in the 1980s after they adopted synthesizers into their sound and started making slick videos that played frequently on MTV.
Their best-known songs include 'Legs', 'Gimme All Your Lovin', 'Sharp Dressed Man' and 'La Grange'.
Hill was one of two of the band's three members with an impressive beard. The only member of the band who didn't rock massive facial hair was the drummer, coincidentally named Frank Beard.
His exact cause of death is unknown.
