ZZ Top has suffered the loss of its second founding member in recent years. Frank Beard, the drummer for the legendary Texas boogie-rock trio, passed away Tuesday at 77 while receiving hospice care at his Richmond, Texas ranch, surrounded by family, publicist Bob Merlis confirmed.
Born on June 11, 1949, in Frankston, Texas, Beard grew up in Irving. His journey to rock stardom began when he met bassist and vocalist Dusty Hill on the Texas music scene. After playing with guitarist Billy Gibbons in The Moving Sidewalks, Beard recommended that Gibbons give Hill an audition as 1969 drew to a close, setting the stage for what would become one of rock’s most enduring acts.
Five Decades of Blues-Rock Thunder
The three musicians launched ZZ Top in 1969, borrowing inspiration from blues artist Z.Z. Hill while modeling their sound after British power trio Cream and Chicago blues pioneer Jimmy Reed. That original configuration stayed together for over 50 years, accumulating worldwide sales exceeding 50 million albums.
The group’s achievements included six chart-toppers on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, seven top-10 finishes on the Billboard 200, and three Grammy nominations. Their 1983 release “Eliminator” sold approximately 10 million units on the strength of MTV favorites “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Legs,” and “Gimme All Your Lovin’.” Earlier classics “La Grange” — a bluesy celebration of the Chicken Ranch, a storied brothel outside La Grange, Texas, that operated for almost seven decades until its 1973 closure — and “Tush” had already cemented their status among America’s most recognizable rock outfits.
The Beardless One
Rock history remembers Beard for a peculiar contradiction: he was the only clean-shaven member of a band defined by facial hair. While Gibbons and Hill became synonymous with flowing beards and dark shades, Beard usually appeared either completely shaved or sporting just a mustache. The famous look emerged unintentionally during a three-year hiatus beginning in 1976, when the bandmates dispersed internationally — Beard to Jamaica, Hill to Mexico, and Gibbons to France. Gibbons and Hill returned with wild, unkempt beards that became their trademark.
That period saw the band touring with a Texas-shaped platform, live rattlesnakes, and even a longhorn steer — theatrics matching the larger-than-life persona they cultivated. When Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards welcomed them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, he joked that they grasped the blues and made it flamboyant, remarking that their whiskers would make poor disguises for fugitives.
During the late 1970s, Beard underwent treatment for substance abuse during a pivotal moment for the band. Gibbons stated at the time that he never contemplated finding a replacement, maintaining there was only one drummer for ZZ Top.
Mourning and Moving Forward
Guitarist and band co-founder Billy Gibbons, who is currently touring with bassist Elwood Francis, released a statement honoring his departed bandmate as an exceptionally inventive drummer and proud Texan, mourning the loss of both a close friend and longtime musical collaborator.
Two scheduled performances in Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs were scrapped following Beard’s death. The tour will resume this weekend at Austin City Limits festival, which the band described as among Beard’s preferred venues in a city he considered a second home.
This represents the second founding member ZZ Top has lost in recent years. Dusty Hill passed away in 2021 and, per his own wishes, was succeeded by longtime bass technician Elwood Francis, who has performed with the group since. The ensemble played together as recently as November 2, 2025, at a performance in Alpine, California.
Tributes poured in from the drumming community. Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk remembered witnessing Beard’s two-hand shuffle during a high school concert, saying it blew his mind. Former Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum described Beard as “a very special and unique man behind the kit.”
The band’s music permeated American culture far beyond concert halls, featuring in movies ranging from “Dazed and Confused” to “Armageddon” to “I, Tonya.” In the 2019 documentary “ZZ Top” (complete title: “ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band from Texas”), Beard reflected: “I’ve found the people I was meant to play with. I never wanted to quit, and never wanted to get fired.”
Gibbons pledged the band would continue as Beard would have wanted, carrying forward a six-decade legacy now entrusted to the two remaining members.