Frank Beard, ZZ Top Drummer Who Was The Only Member Without A Beard, Has Died At 77

Frank Beard, the drummer who co-founded ZZ Top in Houston in 1969 alongside Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill, played on every album across 56 years and was the only member of a band called ZZ Top who did not have a beard, died Monday August 18 at his ranch in Richmond, Texas while in hospice care, surrounded by family. He was 77.

No cause of death was given. His health had been declining since March 2025, when he briefly left the band's tour for an unspecified health issue before returning. ZZ Top canceled a Hollywood Bowl concert earlier this month as his condition worsened.

"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," Billy Gibbons posted online. "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."

With Beard's death, Gibbons is the sole surviving member of the original trio. Bassist Dusty Hill died in July 2021 at age 72.

Elwood Francis has played bass for the band since. ZZ Top canceled Tuesday's Salt Lake City show and Wednesday's Colorado Springs show and will resume their tour this weekend in Austin at ACL Live, one of Beard's favorite venues.

He is survived by his wife Debbie and three children.