Longtime ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard has died after several years of illness. He was 77. Beard “was in hospice care when he passed away at his ranch in Richmond, Texas, with family members at his side” on Aug. 17th. Beard joined guitarist and singer Billy Gibbons in ZZ Top barely a year after Gibbons formed the group from the ashes of his previous band, the Moving Sidewalks. Beard also recruited late ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill into the band. The bands’ iconic power trio lineup was intact for over 50 years, a rarity in classic Rock circles. Beard has appeared on all 15 of ZZ Top’s studio albums, from 1971’s ZZ Top’s First Album to 2012′s La Futura. The band, known for their great Blues-inspired boogie rock shifted to Pop in the eighties. Funny enough, Beard was the one member of ZZ TOP not to ever rock their trademark long beards. According to Rolling Stone, He was replaced by the band’s longtime tech team member John Douglas, who also filled in for an ailing Beard on a 2002 European tour. Beard returned in September 2025 but has reportedly been absent from all of ZZ Top’s 2026 tours, this time replaced by Michael Monahan. Beard’s death leaves Gibbons as the only surviving classic-era member living, as Hill died in July of 2021. Hill was replaced by the band’s longtime guitar tech, Elwood Francis.
You can read a statement from the family below. RIP
