The musician who held down the beat for one of America’s most enduring rock acts has died. Frank Beard, drummer for ZZ Top since the band’s formation in 1969, died on August 18, 2026, at age 77 at his ranch in Richmond, Texas.
Publicist Bob Merlis confirmed that Beard died in hospice care surrounded by family. His death comes five years after the death of bassist Dusty Hill in July 2021, making Beard the second founding member the band has lost in recent years.
Band co-founder and guitarist Billy Gibbons, who is currently touring with bassist Elwood Francis, said in a statement: “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. His signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top. The band of which he was part for six decades is going to keep on keeping on as he had wished.”
Two concerts scheduled for Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs were scrapped following the drummer’s death. The band resumed The Big One! Tour on August 22 with the first of two tribute shows in Austin at ACL Live at the Moody Theater, a venue the group noted was among Beard’s favorites in a city he considered something of a second home. The second followed on August 23.
From Frankston to the Hall of Fame
Born on June 11, 1949, in Frankston, Texas, Beard grew up in Irving and began playing the Texas music circuit in various bands. He first met Hill while both were working their way through different groups in the state’s vibrant music scene.
Beard joined Gibbons in a band called The Moving Sidewalks in May 1969 and suggested that Gibbons audition Hill for a new project. That audition led to the formation of ZZ Top in July of that year, with the three musicians naming the band partly after blues singer Z.Z. Hill. Their sound drew heavily from influential acts like the blues-rock power trio Cream from Britain and Chicago blues pioneer Jimmy Reed.
That original lineup never changed. For more than five decades, the three men recorded and performed together, achieving commercial success that included worldwide sales exceeding 50 million records, six No. 1 singles on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, and seven albums landing in the Billboard 200’s top 10. They received three Grammy Award nominations and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
Their 1983 release “Eliminator” became a massive hit, selling some 10 million copies on the strength of MTV-era classics “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Legs,” and “Gimme All Your Lovin’.” Earlier tracks including “La Grange” — a raucous blues tribute referencing the Chicken Ranch, a well-known house of prostitution outside La Grange, Texas, that operated for almost 70 years until it shut down in 1973 — and “Tush” had already cemented the group’s status as one of America’s most distinctive rock acts.
Rock’s Greatest Visual Irony
One of rock music’s enduring jokes centered on Beard’s name and appearance. While his bandmates Gibbons and Hill grew their famous lengthy, thick facial hair paired with dark sunglasses, Beard himself typically went clean-shaven or sported only a mustache.
The iconic facial hair developed somewhat by chance. Beginning in 1976, the band took a three-year hiatus during which the members traveled separately — Beard to Jamaica, Hill to Mexico, and Gibbons to France. Gibbons and Hill allowed their facial hair to grow unchecked during this period, and when they regrouped, the look became permanent.
The band’s stage shows in that era featured elaborate set pieces including a stage shaped like the state of Texas, live rattlesnakes, and a longhorn steer — theatrical touches that amplified the mythology surrounding the trio. When Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards inducted ZZ Top into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, he put it this way: “These cats know their blues and they know how to dress it up. When I first saw them, I thought, ‘I hope these guys are not on the run, because that disguise is not going to work.’”
During the late 1970s, Beard entered rehab for substance abuse at a moment when the band’s future hung in the balance. According to Gibbons, replacing Beard was never a consideration, as he maintained the band had only one true drummer.
Lasting Impact and Tributes
Hill’s 2021 death led to his replacement by Elwood Francis, his longtime guitar technician, who joined at Hill’s own request. Gibbons, Francis and Beard last performed together on November 22, 2025, at the IP Casino Resort Spa in Biloxi, Miss. Beard had left the road in March 2025 because of illness and did not appear on any of the band’s 2026 dates.
Tributes from fellow drummers poured in following news of Beard’s death. Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk remembered watching Beard perform his signature two-hand shuffle during a high school concert and being completely amazed by the technique. Former Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum called Beard “a very special and unique man behind the kit.”
The band’s music became woven into American popular culture, with their songs featured in films ranging from “Dazed and Confused” to “Armageddon” to “I, Tonya.” In the 2019 documentary “ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band from Texas,” Beard captured what the band meant to him: “I’ve found the people I was meant to play with. I never wanted to quit, and never wanted to get fired.”
According to Gibbons, the band will continue performing in accordance with Beard’s wishes, with the group’s 57-year history now carried forward by its two surviving members. Michael Monahan, who took the drum stool at Beard’s own request, remains behind the kit as the tour runs through November 24 in Buenos Aires. No cause of death has been released, and no memorial has been announced.
