Frank Beard, the longtime drummer of ZZ Top, has died at 77.
According to the Fort Bend County Medical Examiner per TMZ, Beard died Aug. 17 after spending time in hospice. He had recently experienced serious health issues. A cause of death has not been disclosed.
ZZ Top shared an Instagram post expressing how sad they were about the loss.
The Band Releases a Statement
“Following Frank’s passing, ZZ Top has canceled its upcoming shows in Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs,” the statement read. “The band will resume its current The Big One! Tour this weekend with two dates in at Austin City Limits, one of Frank’s favorite venues and in a city that had been something of a second home for him.”
ZZ Top frontman Billy F. Gibbons also released a statement.
“Today, Elwood and I lost a great friend and collaborator, and the world lost one of the most naturally innovative drummers and a great and true son of Texas,” he wrote. “His signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top.”
News of Beard’s death comes less than two weeks after ZZ Top canceled a scheduled performance at the Hollywood Bowl because of what the band described at the time as unforeseen personnel issues.
The Aug. 5 concert, which was scheduled to feature ZZ Top alongside Cheap Trick, was canceled shortly before the performance. Fans were told they would automatically receive refunds for their tickets.
ZZ Top frontman Billy F. Gibbons addressed the cancellation in a statement, saying, “Insurmountable obstacles require canceling our Hollywood Bowl performance. Friends, fans and followers of ZZ Top are the best in the business and the band is counting on everyone to bear with us for this brief interruption.”
Beard’s health had also affected the band’s other recent performances. He was absent from some shows, with drummer Michael Monahan stepping in behind the kit. ZZ Top performed without Beard in Saratoga, California, just days before his death.
Beard had been an integral part of ZZ Top since joining the group in 1969. Alongside Gibbons and the late Dusty Hill, he helped establish the Texas rock band’s unmistakable sound and became part of one of rock music’s most recognizable lineups.
Over more than five decades with the group, Beard played on all 15 of ZZ Top’s studio albums. His drumming helped drive some of the band’s best-known songs, including “La Grange,” “Tush,” “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs.”
Although his surname was Beard, the drummer was famously clean-shaven compared with his bandmates’ signature facial hair.
Beard remained with ZZ Top through numerous changes in the music industry and the loss of Hill, who died in 2021 at 72. Hill’s longtime role was later filled by Elwood Francis, who had worked with the band as a guitar technician.
Fans Mourn the Loss
The band’s fans quickly turned to social media after news of Beard’s death emerged, sharing memories and tributes to the drummer.
“Incredibly sad news. RIP frank beard of @ZZTop,” one fan wrote.
Another posted, “If the news is true then. RIP Frank Beard of ZZ Top.”
“Stay hard, keep jammin’, and we’ll see ya, Frank Beard,” another fan wrote.
Beard’s death marks another major loss for ZZ Top, a band whose lineup remained remarkably consistent for decades.
For now, details surrounding the drummer’s final days remain limited. The medical examiner has confirmed that Beard died following a hospice stay, but his cause of death has not been released.
