ZZ Top Drummer Frank Beard Dead At 77

Frank Beard, the drummer who helmed the kit in ZZ Top for 56 years, has died. Beard was in hospice care when he died Monday at his ranch in Richmond, Texas with his family at his side, a rep confirmed to the Associated Press. He was 77.Beard is the second member of ZZ Top's classic lineup to die following bassist Dusty Hill, who passed away in 2021. That leaves founding singer-guitarist Billy Gibbons as the sole remaining musician from the group's half-century run as kings of Texas boogie-rock, a massively influential stint that yielded hits like "Sharp Dressed Man," "La Grange," "Legs," "Tush," and "Gimme All Your Lovin." Beard had been touring with Gibbons and bassist Elwood Francis until earlier this month, when he dropped off the tour and substitute drummer Michael Monahan stepped in. He previously stepped away in 2025 due to an undisclosed health ailment. The band announced it would cancel its shows tonight and Wednesday in Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs and would return to the stage Aug. 22 and 23 at ACL Live at The Moody Theater in Austin, Texas, "one of Frank's favorite venues and in a city that had been something of a second home for him.""Today, Elwood and I lost a g...