The iconic blues-rock band ZZ Top has announced the passing of its longtime drummer, founding member Frank Beard, at the age of 77. According to an official statement posted to the band’s official website, Beard died on Monday while receiving hospice care at his personal ranch in Richmond, Texas, surrounded by his close family members. No details regarding his specific cause of death have been released to the public.
Beard’s death has forced the band to cancel two scheduled tour stops this week in the western United States: a Monday performance in Salt Lake City, Utah, and a Wednesday show in Colorado Springs, Colorado. However, the group confirmed that it plans to pick up its ongoing *The Big One! Tour* this coming weekend, with two scheduled sets at the Austin City Limits venue in Austin, Texas — a spot the band says counted among Beard’s favorite performance spaces, in a city he considered a second home.
A foundational member of ZZ Top, Beard was part of the band’s original lineup when the group was formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969. Alongside lead vocalist and guitarist Billy Gibbons and bassist Dusty Hill, Beard made up the iconic trio that played its first public live show in 1970. Over the course of his six-decade tenure with the band, Beard contributed to 15 full-length studio albums and four live albums, helping craft the group’s signature blues-rock sound that catapulted them to global fame. The band’s discography includes countless chart-topping hit singles such as *Gimme All Your Lovin’*, *Sleeping Bag*, and their well-known cover of *Viva Las Vegas*.
The band underwent a major shift in 2021 when original bassist Dusty Hill passed away, after which the group chose to continue touring with new bassist Elwood Francis stepping into Hill’s role. Following Beard’s death, Gibbons shared a heartfelt tribute to his bandmate and collaborator of more than 50 years.
“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 in the statement. He added that Beard’s instantly recognizable, steady backbeat was the critical backbone that kept ZZ Top at the top of the rock scene for decades. Staying true to Beard’s own wishes, Gibbons confirmed that the band will continue performing moving forward.
ZZ Top, one of the longest-running active rock bands in American history, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, in recognition of its massive influence on blues and rock music. Over the course of their career, the band has toured extensively across North America, Europe, and South America, building a loyal global fanbase that spans multiple generations.