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ZZ Top Drummer Frank Beard Passes Away, Aged 77
Frank Beard, the longtime drummer of of Texas blues rock outfit ZZ Top, has passed away at the age of 77.
News of Beard’s passing was confirmed via a statement shared by founding guitarist and vocalist Billy Gibbons. “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 wrote.
“His signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top.”
Born in Texas in 1949, Beard’s journey into music was a slightly strange one, with his resumé featuring a role in the fake version of English band The Zombies – a group created in 1969 to cash in on the popularity of the real band, despite them having broken up years earlier.
That band also featured his future bandmate Dusty Hill, and while Beard would join Gibbons in the newly-formed ZZ Top (replacing founding drummer Dan Mitchell), Hill would not follow suit until the following year, replacing Billy Ethridge and becoming the band’s third bassist.
Together, the longstanding line-up of Gibbons, Hill, and Beard would become one of the most iconic and consistent in rock history.
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Known for their bearded image (though ironically, Beard was the only one to not sport a beard), the band would record 15 albums between 1971 and 2012, including 1983's Eliminator and 1985's Afterburner, which would peak at No. 2 and No. 6 on the Australian charts, and spawn singles such as Sharp Dressed Man, Legs, Sleeping Bag, and more.
Hill would pass away in 2021 at the age of 72, with longtime guitar tech Elwood Francis stepping in per Hill’s request.
In April 2025, it was announced that Beard would not join ZZ Top's then-forthcoming Australian tour, citing a medical issue that had seen him step away from a US tour, and a need to undertake physical therapy.
Last week, reports emerged that Beard's health had worsened, with a date at the Hollywood Bowl on August 5th having been cancelled. However, Setlist.fm reports that Beard played his last show with ZZ Top on August 14th, in Ridgefield, Washington.
In the wake of Beard’s passing, ZZ Top have cancelled upcoming US dates on August 19th and 21st, though plan to return to the stage over the weekend at the Austin City Limits festival, “one of Frank’s favorite venues and in a city that had been something of a second home for him.”
Though John Douglas substituted for Beard during his 2025 absence, recent shows have seen Michael Monahan sitting behind the kit.
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