Frank Beard, the drummer for rock band ZZ Top, has died at 77. Bob Merlis, the band’s representative, confirmed the news to Rolling Stone. Beard was surrounded by family when he died in hospice care in Richmond, Texas.
A cause of death has not been confirmed. The band shared a statement announcing his death on Instagram. His signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top. - Billy F Gibbons,” the Instagram caption read.
ZZ Top has canceled its shows in Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs following Beard’s death. Tour this weekend with two dates in at Austin City Limits, one of Frank’s favorite venues and in a city that had been something of a second home for him,” the Instagram caption continued. ZZ Top recently canceled an August 5 concert at the Hollywood Bowl due to “insurmountable obstacles.” The band is currently on tour with performances scheduled through October.
Beard, meanwhile, announced that his departure from the band in March 2025 due to an unspecified “health issue.” The Texas band told fans that Beard would miss their Elevation tour because he needs to undergo a health procedure. Beard joined the band in 1969 after replacing founder Dan Mitchell on drums, with singer/guitarist Billy Gibbons and bassist Dusty Hill completing the lineup. Together with Beard, they grew their hair long and dyed it blue to match their name: Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial.
This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, and have continued to experiment with their later work including 2012’s La Futura, which was co-produced by the legendary Rick Rubin. The lineup has been mostly unchanged for 51 years.
Longtime bassist Dusty Hill, played with the band from the late Sixties until his death in July 2021. It was announced that longtime guitar tech Elwood Francis would play bass, per Hill’s wishes. More follows on this breaking news story.
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