Frank Beard, the longtime drummer for legendary Texas rock band ZZ Top, has died at 77.
Beard died Aug. 17 following a stay in hospice, according to the Fort Bend County Medical Examiner’s Office in Rosenberg, Texas.
His cause of death has not been released, and the medical examiner said an autopsy will not be performed.
Beard spent more than five decades behind the kit for ZZ Top, helping power the unmistakable sound that turned the Texas trio into one of the most recognizable rock bands in American music.
Bandmate Billy F Gibbons mourned Beard in 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. His signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top,” Gibbons said.
ZZ Top canceled upcoming shows in Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs following Beard’s death.
The band said it still plans to resume its The Big One! tour this weekend with two performances at Austin City Limits, a venue Beard reportedly considered one of his favorites in a city he viewed as a second home.
The news comes shortly after ZZ Top abruptly canceled a scheduled Aug. 5 performance at the Hollywood Bowl only hours before showtime.
At the time, the band cited unspecified personnel issues.
“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. His signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top.” – Billy F Gibbons pic.twitter.com/5kMlKGnI2r
— ZZ Top (@ZZTop) August 18, 2026
“The ZZ Top tour has unforeseen personnel matters that have forced the band to cancel its appearance at the Los Angeles landmark,” a statement from the group said the day of the show.
Gibbons later addressed the last-minute cancellation himself.
“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,” he said.
ZZ Top traces its roots back to 1969, when Gibbons formed the band before Beard joined and introduced him to bassist Dusty Hill.
That lineup became the foundation of the group’s enduring success and remained together for more than 50 years.
Beard’s steady, hard-driving style became a central part of the band’s blues-rock sound as ZZ Top built a catalog that made the trio a fixture of American rock culture.
The group became known for its Texas swagger, heavy riffs and instantly recognizable image, with Gibbons and Hill sporting their trademark long beards while Beard, ironically, was the one member whose last name actually matched the look.
Hill died in 2021 at age 72, leaving Beard and Gibbons as the surviving members of the classic lineup.
Now, with Beard’s death, another chapter in ZZ Top’s history has come to a close.
He leaves behind more than five decades of music and a signature backbeat that helped turn a Texas blues-rock outfit into one of the most enduring bands of its era.
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