ZZ Top bass player Hill dies at 72

ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill is dead at the age of 72.

The bearded bass player's death was announced by his bandmates of more than 50 years.

"We are saddened by the news today that our Compadre, Dusty Hill, has passed away in his sleep at home in Houston, TX," Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard said in a statement posted to the band's Instagram account.

"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'."

They ended the note: "You will be missed greatly, amigo."

Hill's cause of death has not been announced.

The Missourian reported on Wednesday that a hip injury suffered last month would cause him to miss an August 7 show at the Washington Town & Country Fair, although the Texas band had planned to perform songs from its extensive catalog, which includes the 1975 rocker Tush and the 1983 hit Sharp Dressed Man with a different bass player.

The band last recorded new music in 2012.