ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard dies aged 77
A statement on the blues-rock band's website said he died on Monday in hospice
Frank Beard, the longtime drummer for ZZ Top, has passed away at 77 years old, the band announced.
According to a statement posted on the blues-rock band's website, Beard died on Monday while in hospice care at his ranch in Richmond, Texas, surrounded by his family. The cause of death was not disclosed.
His passing has led to the "necessitation of the cancellation" of the band's scheduled tour dates this week in Utah and Colorado, the statement noted.
ZZ Top was formed in 1969, and the original trio—Beard, Billy Gibbons, and the late Dusty Hill—performed their inaugural live concert the subsequent year. Over their career, they released 15 studio albums and four live albums, featuring popular singles such as "Gimme All Your Lovin'," "Sleeping Bag," and "Viva Las Vegas."
Following Hill's death in 2021, the band continued to perform with Elwood Francis taking on the role of bassist.
Gibbons shared his sentiments, stating, "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."
He added, "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."
The concerts canceled after Beard's death were slated for Monday in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Wednesday in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
ZZ Top intends to resume their current "The Big One! Tour" this weekend with two performances at Austin City Limits, a venue the band described as one of Beard's favorites in "a city that had been something of a second home for him."