Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) said the passing of ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill, a Texas resident, was a great loss to the state and the music world, while bandmates and fans eulogized him as a unique artist.
According to FOX News, Hill passed away on July 27 at the age of 72 at his Houston home reportedly from complications due to a hip problem.
Abbott called him a “music legend.”
“Today we lost a great friend and a remarkable Texan,” Abbott said in a tweet.
The band ZZ Top formed in 1969 and gained great popularity during the 1970s. Consisting of vocalist and guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and Hill, the group was noted for their long beards, sunglasses and hats on stage, and for the sly and humorous lyrics of their songs.
Their style included blues, boogie and southern rock.
They sold an estimated 50 million albums worldwide and continued performing right up until 2019.
Born in Dallas, Hill was a charter member of the band and got his start playing the cello in high school.
Kid Rock (Robert James Ritchie), an American singer and song writer, praised Hill for his talent.
"I loved Dusty Hill first as a player, singer, songwriter and performer," Ritchie said, according to FOX News. "I was privileged to also call him a friend. I will forever cherish our time on the road and on stage together. A tremendous human being, Texan and American, we lost another one of the greats. But rock n roll never forgets. Rock on Dusty!"
Bandmates Gibbons and Beard indicated that Hill was unique and irreplaceable.
"We are saddened by the news today that our compadre, Dusty Hill, has passed away in his sleep at home in Houston,” the two wrote in a statement for the news website TMZ. “We, along with legions of ZZ Top fans around the world will miss your steadfast presence, good nature and enduring commitment to providing that monumental bottom to the 'Top.' We will forever be connected to that 'Blues Shuffle in C.'"