Frank Beard, the longtime drummer of ZZ Top and a defining force behind the Texas rock band’s distinctive blues-rock sound, has died at 77 while receiving hospice care at his ranch in Richmond, Texas, with members of his family at his side.
The news was confirmed by the band’s publicist, Bob Merlis, who said Beard had been in hospice care when he died, although no official cause of death was provided in the announcement surrounding his passing.
Billy Gibbons, ZZ Top’s guitarist, vocalist and co-founder, mourned Beard as both a close friend and longtime musical collaborator, describing his drummer’s distinctive backbeat as an essential part of the sound that carried the group to international success.
“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,” Gibbons said, adding that Beard’s contribution had been central to keeping ZZ Top at the top of the music world.
Beard joined Gibbons and bassist Dusty Hill when ZZ Top was formed in 1969, beginning a partnership that became one of the longest-running original lineups in the history of major American rock music before Hill’s death in 2021.
Although his surname became an ironic part of the band’s mythology, Beard was famously the only member of the classic trio who did not wear the enormous facial hair associated with Gibbons and Hill, instead generally appearing with a mustache while performing behind the drum kit.
Born in Frankston, Texas, Beard had already been involved in the state’s music scene before ZZ Top took shape, and he had crossed paths with Gibbons through the Moving Sidewalks before becoming part of the lineup that would eventually define the group.
ZZ Top released its first album in 1970 and gradually established a distinctive sound built from blues, rock, boogie and funk influences, with Beard providing the steady rhythmic foundation behind songs that helped make the band one of Texas’ most recognizable musical exports.
The group’s commercial breakthrough came in the 1970s with songs including “La Grange,” “Tush” and “Cheap Sunglasses,” establishing the guitar-driven style that would later be transformed by the production-heavy sound of the band’s biggest commercial period.
ZZ Top reached a new level of mainstream success with the 1983 album “Eliminator,” which incorporated synthesizers, drum machines and additional production elements while retaining the group’s blues-rock identity and producing major hits including “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs.”
“Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs” also became staples of the early MTV era, with their memorable videos helping ZZ Top reach a much broader audience while turning the band’s beards, sunglasses, customized cars and Texas image into instantly recognizable cultural symbols.
“Eliminator” became the band’s biggest commercial album, eventually selling more than 10 million copies in the United States and earning Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, while further establishing ZZ Top as a major force in American popular music.
Across Beard’s tenure, ZZ Top released 15 studio albums and sold more than 50 million records worldwide, while seven of the group’s albums reached the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 and six singles reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart.
The band received three Grammy Award nominations and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, cementing the significance of the original trio’s contribution to American rock and blues music after decades of recording and touring.
Beard’s influence extended beyond the band’s commercial achievements, with fellow drummers recognizing his ability to combine a powerful Texas shuffle with a precise rhythmic approach that helped give ZZ Top’s recordings and live performances their unmistakable groove.
In a 2019 documentary about the band, Beard reflected on his commitment to ZZ Top by saying that he had found the people he was meant to play with and had never wanted to quit or be fired, a statement that underscored the extraordinary longevity of his partnership with Gibbons and Hill.
The group’s original lineup remained intact for more than five decades, an unusually long period for a major touring rock act, until Hill died in 2021 and longtime guitar technician Elwood Francis subsequently joined the band as its bassist.
ZZ Top continued performing after Hill’s death, maintaining its touring schedule across North America, Europe and South America, while Beard remained part of the group until health problems forced him to step away from the road temporarily in 2025.
The band announced in March 2025 that Beard would temporarily leave its touring activities because of foot and ankle problems, and his health concerns later contributed to the cancellation of a ZZ Top performance at the Hollywood Bowl earlier this month.
Following Beard’s death, ZZ Top canceled scheduled performances in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Colorado Springs, Colorado, as the group adjusted its touring plans after losing the drummer who had anchored its rhythm section for nearly six decades.
The band has said it intends to continue its current “The Big One!” tour, with performances planned at Austin City Limits over the weekend, a venue and city that held particular significance for Beard during his long career.
Beard is survived by his wife, Debbie Meredith, and their three children, while Gibbons and Francis now remain as the touring members carrying forward ZZ Top’s legacy after the deaths of both Beard and Hill.
With Beard’s death, Gibbons is the sole surviving member of the classic ZZ Top lineup, bringing an end to an extraordinary chapter for a band whose original three members remained together for more than 50 years.
Beard’s career ultimately linked the raw blues foundations of early ZZ Top with the polished, MTV-era productions that made the band a global name, leaving behind a rhythmic style that became inseparable from some of the group’s most enduring recordings.