On This Day, Dec. 16, 1984: ZZ Top’s Dusty Hill accidentally shot himself in the stomach

On This Day, Dec. 16, 1984 …

ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill accidentally shot himself in the stomach when, while taking off his boots, his gun fell out and went off. Hill was able to drive himself to the hospital and made a full recovery.

In a 2010 interview with Classic Rock magazine, Hill said of the accident, “I couldn’t believe I’d done something so stupid. To this day, I don’t know how I could do it.”

Hill went on to play with ZZ Top until his death on July 28, 2021. The band continued on, with Hill replaced by Elwood Francis, the band’s longtime guitar tech, who was Hill’s pick to take his spot.