ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard dies at 77

Frank Beard, the drummer whose steady beat anchored ZZ Top for more than five decades, has died at 77. Publicist Bob Merlis said Beard died Tuesday while in hospice care at his ranch in Richmond, Texas, surrounded by family.

Band co-founder Billy Gibbons said Beard was a close friend and an innovative drummer whose backbeat was central to ZZ Top’s sound. Gibbons, who is touring with bassist Elwood Francis, said the band intends to continue as Beard wished. Beard is survived by his wife, Debbie Meredith, and three children.

Beard, Gibbons and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill formed ZZ Top in 1969. The group sold more than 50 million records, had six No. 1 singles on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

Its best-known songs included La Grange, Tush, Gimme All Your Lovin’, Legs and Sharp Dressed Man. The band’s 1983 album Eliminator brought a more synthesized sound and helped make its videos staples of early MTV.

Beard stepped away from touring in March 2025 because of foot and ankle problems. ZZ Top cancelled an Aug. 5 Hollywood Bowl show because of his health issues. Hill died in 2021.