RICHMOND, TX—On August 18, bandmember and drummer for ZZ Top for 57 years, Frank Beard passed away at 77. He was in hospice care and died at his ranch in Richmond, Texas surrounded by family. No cause of death was given.
The August 5, ZZ Top performance scheduled at the Hollywood Bowl to perform along with Cheap Trick was canceled. The band cited “insurmountable obstacles.” It was later revealed to Rolling Stones Magazine that Beard’s decline in health was the reason for the cancellation.
Classic folk singer and guitarist, Christopher Cross posted the following message on his Instagram page:
“I am terribly sorry for the passing of Frank Beard of ZZ Top. My heartfelt condolences to the Beard family, Billy F. Gibbons, and the ZZ family. I go back a few decades with the boys, from Moving Sidewalk days to the inimitable ZZ Top. A fellow Texan, Frank’s passing is a huge loss. He was an iconic player whose style and passion fit the band’s music like a rhinestone glove. I’m sure he and Dusty [ref. now-deceased ZZ Top keyboardist, Dusty Hill] are hangin’ again and playing some shuffles. You will be missed, my friend.”
ZZ Top’s co-founder and guitarist, Billy Gibbons who is on tour with bassist, Elwood Francis, remembered Beard, as “A true son of Texas.”
“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. His signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top. The band of which he was for six decades is going to keep on keeping on as he had wished,” Gibbons said in a statement.
ZZ Top has sold over 50 million records to date, six of which reached the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. Seven albums made the Billboard 200’s Top 10 and they earned three Grammy Awards.
Beard’s foundational shuffle was a distinct talent, and a driving force that made global hits of “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Legs,”, “Gimme All Your Lovin,” “La Grange,” and “Tush.” He was also the only member of the ZZ Top ban without the iconic chest-length beard.
