Frank Beard, ZZ Top drummer, dies at 77

Frank Beard, ZZ Top’s “beardless” drummer, dies at 77 – band cancels tour dates

Longtime ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard has died at 77, the band announced. A statement on the group’s website said he passed away on Monday in hospice care at his ranch in Richmond, Texas, with family at his side. The cause of death was not disclosed.

Yahoo News reported that Beard died on Tuesday, local time, also in hospice care on his Texas ranch and surrounded by family, according to his publicist. Both outlets agree that Billy Gibbons broke the news with a post on Instagram.

Media additions

"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 Gibbons, lead vocalist, via BBC

"The band of which he was part for six decades is going to keep on keeping on as he had wished."

Billy Gibbons, lead vocalist, via BBC

Beard’s own voice resurfaced in the 2019 documentary *ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band From Texas*. In it he reflected, “I’ve found the people I was meant to play with.”

"I’ve found the people I was meant to play with."

Frank Beard, via Yahoo

From Frankston to rock‑roll royalty

Born in Frankston, Texas, in 1949, Beard answered ZZ Top’s call in 1969, the year the trio formed. He stepped in after the group’s first single “Salt Lick” and helped shape the band’s heavy‑blues sound that would soon fuse with synthesiser‑driven rock in the 1980s.

The lineup that emerged – Billy Gibbons on vocals and guitar, Dusty Hill on bass and Beard on drums – recorded fifteen studio albums and four live records. Their 1984 release *Eliminator* sold more than 10 million copies, earned a diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America and secured a Grammy Award nomination. A follow‑up, *Afterburner*, brought another Grammy nod in 1987. In 2021 the group was nominated for a Grammy for the documentary *That Little Ol’ Band From Texas*.

Beard’s drumming anchored some of the band’s most enduring tracks: “La Grange”, “Tush”, “Cheap Sunglasses”, “Sharp Dressed Man”, “Legs” and “Gimme All Your Lovin’”. Those songs helped ZZ Top amass more than 50 million record sales and six No. 1 singles on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. The trio’s visual trademark – matching beards – contrasted with Beard’s clean‑shaven look, earning him the nickname “The Man With No Beard”. The group’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame came in 2004.

Health, hiatus and the final tour leg

Beard stepped back from touring in 2022 after unspecified health issues, a decision noted by both the BBC and NZ Herald. The band’s current “The Big One!” tour already listed him as absent, with touring drummer Michael Monahan filling his beats.

Following the announcement of his death, ZZ Top cancelled two shows from the North‑American leg: the Salt Lake City, Utah, concert scheduled for Monday and the Colorado Springs, Colorado, performance slated for Wednesday. The NZ Herald confirmed the cancellations and added that the band will press on with remaining dates, citing Gibbons’ pledge that the group will “keep on keeping on”.

The band also announced that it will resume the tour this weekend with two dates at Austin City Limits, a venue Beard favored and a city described as “something of a second home for him”.

Reactions across the pond

UK outlets framed the story with a focus on the band’s legacy. The BBC’s statement emphasized Beard’s role as the rhythmic backbone and highlighted the immediate impact on the tour schedule. Yahoo News, an American outlet, mirrored the BBC’s tribute while also noting the discrepancy in the reported day of death.

New Zealand’s NZ Herald, writing for an overseas audience, stressed the group’s intention to continue performing, quoting Gibbons again and noting the band’s resilience after Hill’s death in 2021 and Beard’s own recent health‑related withdrawal.

Livemint’s live‑blog simply recorded the headline “Frank Beard, ZZ Top’s beardless drummer, dies at 77” without additional details, underscoring how the news filtered through global entertainment tickers.

What comes next?

ZZ Top’s official channels say the Austin City Limits shows will go ahead as scheduled, offering fans a chance to hear the trio’s catalogue with Elwood Francis on bass and Michael Monahan on drums. No further cancellations have been announced, and the band’s statement indicates that future tour dates will proceed “as he had wished”.

Industry observers will watch how the group balances tribute moments with the practicalities of touring without Beard, especially as the remaining North‑American leg moves into the next week. Any updates on a permanent replacement or a commemorative release are expected to come from the band’s publicist, Bob Merlis, who confirmed Beard’s hospice care details.