Frank Beard, the legendary drummer and longtime backbone of ZZ Top, has died at 77. According to the Fort Bend County Medical Examiner, Beard died August 17 following a stay in hospice. A cause of death has not been disclosed.
Beard joined ZZ Top in 1969 and spent more than five decades behind the kit alongside Billy Gibbons and the late Dusty Hill. He played on all 15 of the band’s studio albums and helped drive classics including “La Grange,” “Tush,” “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs.”
ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. Beard’s death comes just weeks after health issues forced the band to cancel its Hollywood Bowl performance, with Michael Monahan filling in for him on recent shows.
