ZZ Top Reveals If They’ll Perform Tonight in Wake of Dusty Hill’s Death

ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill passed away Wednesday, and the band has now revealed if they’ll perform tonight in the wake of his sudden death. The band was scheduled to play in Simpsonville, South Carolina, the same day, but Ultimate Classic Rock reports that they have opted to cancel the show. Notably, Hill had recently taken some time away from performing, citing a “hip issue” as the only reason for his planned hiatus.

Ahead of the concert cancellation, the remaining members of ZZ Top — singer and guitarist Billy Gibbons and drummer Frank Beard — issued a statement on their late bandmate’s death. “We are saddened by the news today that our Compadre, Dusty Hill, has passed away in his sleep at home in Houston,” the statement read. “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.”

In the wake of Hill’s death, many fans and peers have taken to social media to honor his memory. “If you weren’t there, you can’t comprehend how BIG ZZ Top were in the 1980s and 1990s,” wrote music journalist Eric Alper. “‘Gimme All Your Lovin’,’ ‘Sharp Dressed Man’ and ‘Legs’ were on staples on MTV, concerts sold out, and brought the blues + FUN into music that hasn’t been seen since. Rest in peace, Dusty Hill.”

Iconic actress Morgan Fairchild shared that she knew Hill for much of her life, and that she was sad to hear about his passing. “Just devastated to hear of the death of Dusty Hill. We knew each other since high school, when my then-boyfriend was the drummer in [one] of Dusty’s early bands w his brother, Rocky,” Fairchild tweeted. “Spent many an evening at those early gigs together. RIP Dusty.”

Finally, Living Colour founder and guitarist Vernon Reid offered, “Dusty Hill was the kind of musician that could be in a world famous band, & be satisfied with making it work. Like Rick Laird, who also passed on recently, nobody seeming to notice. Getting it done with humility is the opposite of the narcissism that fuels modern music culture.”