Frank Beard, the drummer who powered ZZ Top for more than five decades, died on Monday, August 17, 2026, at the age of 77. He had been receiving hospice care and died surrounded by his family at his ranch in Richmond, Texas. An exact cause of death was not disclosed. Band representative Bob Merlis confirmed his death
Following the announcement, ZZ Top cancelled its August 18 concert in Salt Lake City and its August 19 appearance in Colorado Springs. The band said its current tour would resume during the weekend in Austin. 18 de agosto en Salt Lake City y del 19 de agosto en Colorado Springs. La banda informó que su gira se reanudará durante el fin de semana en Austin.
Beard had faced several health problems throughout his career. In 2002, he missed a series of concerts after undergoing an emergency appendectomy. He temporarily stepped away from touring again in 2025 to receive treatment for an undisclosed condition.
His health affected ZZ Top’s schedule once more in August 2026. The band cancelled its August 5 performance at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, initially citing “insurmountable obstacles.” It was later confirmed that the decision was related to Beard’s condition.
The definitive drummer of ZZ Top
Beard was not technically a founding member of ZZ Top and did not perform on the band’s debut single, “Salt Lick,” which featured drummer Dan Mitchell. He joined shortly afterward in 1969 and became an essential part of the group’s classic lineup.
Beard introduced bassist Dusty Hill to guitarist and vocalist Billy Gibbons, completing the trio that would remain almost entirely unchanged for more than five decades.
Although much of ZZ Top’s public image centered on the long beards worn by Gibbons and Hill, Beard was traditionally the only member of the group without one. Behind that familiar irony was the musician responsible for anchoring its sound.
His playing became fundamental to the band’s Texas shuffle, a precise but relaxed groove connecting blues, boogie and hard rock. That rhythmic foundation powered songs including “La Grange,” “Tush,” “Cheap Sunglasses,” “Gimme All Your Lovin’” and “Sharp Dressed Man.”
Beard rarely approached drumming as a constant technical exhibition. His work depended on placement, endurance and the ability to create enough space for Gibbons’ guitar and Hill’s bass.
In the 2019 documentary ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band from Texas, Gibbons recalled immediately recognizing Beard as the drummer he had been looking for. He described him as a musician who played with ferocity and determination.
More than five decades behind the kit
Beard performed on every ZZ Top studio album, from ZZ Top’s First Album through La Futura in 2012.
His drumming accompanied every significant transformation in the group’s sound, from the Texas blues rock of Rio Grande Mud and Tres Hombres to the technologically enhanced production of Eliminator, which turned ZZ Top into one of the defining bands of the MTV era.
Beard also struggled with addiction during the 1970s before entering rehabilitation and maintaining his sobriety. ZZ Top temporarily suspended its activity while he addressed those problems.
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. Beard continued touring after Dusty Hill died in 2021, when longtime guitar technician Elwood Francis assumed bass duties at Hill’s request.
Beard’s death leaves Billy Gibbons as the final surviving member of the classic lineup that defined ZZ Top’s history.
