Article Contributed by Gratefulweb
Published on 2026-08-18
Frank Beard, the longtime drummer for ZZ Top and a member of the band for more than five decades, died Monday, August 17, at his ranch in Richmond, Texas. He was 77.
ZZ Top confirmed Beard’s death Tuesday, saying he was in hospice care and surrounded by family when he passed. Beard had been behind the kit for the band since 1970, forming one of rock’s most enduring lineups alongside Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill.
Gibbons paid tribute to his longtime bandmate, calling Beard a great friend and collaborator and praising the drummer’s distinctive backbeat as a central part of ZZ Top’s sound. He also said the band intends to continue, in keeping with Beard’s wishes.
Beard joined ZZ Top on February 10, 1970, and remained with the group for the next 56 years. His steady, economical drumming became a defining part of the band’s blend of Texas blues, boogie and rock and roll.
Beard was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with ZZ Top in 2004. At the ceremony, he reflected simply on the course of his career: “Most of my life has been a pleasant surprise, and so is this.”
His passing also forced the cancellation of ZZ Top’s scheduled August 18 show in Sandy, Utah, and the band’s August 19 appearance at Pikes Peak Center in Colorado Springs. The band’s official site currently lists both performances as canceled.
ZZ Top is scheduled to resume The Big One! Tour this weekend with two shows at ACL Live at the Moody Theater in Austin, a venue the band said was one of Beard’s favorites.
Beard’s death leaves Gibbons as the surviving member of ZZ Top’s classic trio. Hill died in 2021, after which Elwood Francis joined the band on bass.
For more than half a century, Beard was the quiet engine behind ZZ Top, rarely flashy and almost always locked in. His drumming gave the band the swing, weight and pocket that carried songs from “La Grange” and “Tush” to the group’s later arena years.
Our condolences go out to Beard’s family, bandmates, crew, friends and fans.
