ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard dies at 77

Frank Beard, the longtime ZZ Top drummer whose steady backbeat helped power one of rock’s most recognizable Texas bands for more than five decades, has died. He was 77.

The band said Beard died Monday in hospice care at his ranch in Richmond, Texas, with family members at his side. A cause of death was not specified.

Billy Gibbons, ZZ Top’s guitarist and singer, said in a statement that he and bassist Elwood Francis had “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. “The band of which he was part for six decades is going to keep on keeping on as he had wished.”

ZZ Top canceled tour dates scheduled this week in Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs after Beard’s death. The band said it plans to resume its current The Big One! Tour over the weekend with two dates at Austin City Limits, which it described as one of Beard’s favorite venues and in a city that had become “something of a second home for him.”

Beard was born in Frankston, Texas, on June 11, 1949, and was raised in Irving, according to the band’s publicist. He first met bassist Dusty Hill when the two played together in several bands. Beard later joined The Moving Sidewalks with Gibbons, and, in the final days of 1969, suggested that Gibbons audition Hill as he searched for a rhythm section.

Gibbons recalled the band’s beginnings in a 2019 interview with “CBS Sunday Morning.” “It was a club called The Catacombs,” he said. “It was a day that Frank Beard, the man with no beard, he and I were gathered together to audition bass players. And about that time Dusty strolled up, strapped on the guitar, and I think we wound up playing one song for about three hours straight!”

ZZ Top was founded in 1969 and played its first live concert the next year. The group released its debut, “ZZ Top’s First Album,” in 1970, building a sound that blended rock, blues and funk. The band later described itself as “That Little Ol’ Band From Texas.”

Its commercial breakthrough came in 1973 with “La Grange,” from the album “Tres Hombres.” The band went on to score hits including “Tush,” “Cheap Sunglasses,” “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Legs,” “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Sleeping Bag” and “Viva Las Vegas.” The 1983 album “Eliminator” added synthesizers, drum machines and polished production to the trio’s stripped-down sound, while its music videos became fixtures on MTV.

Unlike Gibbons and Hill, who became famous for their long beards, Beard often appeared clean-shaven or with only a mustache. Gibbons said the band’s signature facial hair came about by accident during a long break beginning in 1976, when the members scattered to different places and returned after three years to discover that Gibbons and Hill had stopped shaving.

After ZZ Top’s early success, Beard entered rehab for substance abuse in the late 1970s, and the band took a three-year hiatus. Asked later whether he had considered replacing Beard, Gibbons said, “No. There is no other drummer. There’s one guy!”

ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. The band has sold more than 50 million albums, according to The Associated Press, and earned three Grammy nominations. The band’s publicist said 11 ZZ Top albums were certified Gold, seven were certified platinum and “Eliminator” sold more than 10 million copies, reaching Diamond status.

Hill died in 2021 and, at his request, was replaced by his longtime bass tech, Francis. In March 2025, the band announced on Instagram that Beard would temporarily step away from touring to address foot and ankle problems. Beard died weeks after ZZ Top called off an Aug. 5 concert at the Hollywood Bowl because of his health issues.

Beard is survived by his wife, Debbie Meredith, and three children.