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ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard dies at 77
Frank Beard, ZZ Top’s drummer for 56 years, died in Texas hospice care.
What happened
Frank Beard, who played drums for ZZ Top for 56 years, died aged 77 in hospice care at his Richmond, Texas ranch, with family present. The band did not disclose a cause. Guitarist Billy Gibbons announced that ZZ Top would continue after cancelling performances in Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs.
Numbers
- 77Beard's age at death
- 56 yearsTime drumming with ZZ Top
- 50 million recordsZZ Top records sold worldwide
Questions
- Who remains from ZZ Top's original lineup?
- Billy Gibbons is the sole surviving original member; bassist Elwood Francis joined after Dusty Hill died in 2021.
- How long did the original trio last?
- Beard, Gibbons and Hill first played together in 1970 and retained their lineup until Hill’s death more than five decades later.
- Why had Beard stepped back from touring?
- In March 2025, the band announced a temporary leave for an unspecified health issue and said he expected a speedy recovery.
- What was ZZ Top’s commercial reach?
- ZZ Top sold more than fifty million records, had chart-topping singles and placed several albums in the Billboard 200’s top ten.
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The catch
The cause was not disclosed, and accounts differ on the date of death.