Frank Beard, ZZ Top's drummer for more than five decades, dies at 77

Frank Beard, who kept time in ZZ Top from 1970 through the band's entire recorded history, died on 17 August at his ranch in Richmond, Texas. He was 77 and had been in hospice care, with family present. No cause was given. Beard had stepped back from touring in early 2025 for an unspecified health issue.

Guitarist Billy Gibbons said in a statement that he and bassist Elwood Francis had lost "a great friend and collaborator," and called Beard one of the most naturally innovative drummers and a true son of Texas. The band canceled dates in Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs, then returned to the stage on 22 August at Austin's Moody Theater with Michael Monahan on drums. Gibbons framed the night as a celebration rather than a memorial and said the group would carry on, in line with what Beard and the late Dusty Hill had wanted.

Beard's shuffle underpinned the run of records, from Tres Hombres through Eliminator and Afterburner, that made ZZ Top one of the most recognizable guitar-driven bands in American rock. With Hill gone since 2021, Gibbons is now the last original member.