ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard dies aged 77

Billy Gibbons has hailed his longtime bandmate as "one of the most naturally innovative drummers"

Frank Beard, the longtime drummer with rock legends ZZ Top , has died at the age of 77.

The news was announced earlier today (August 18) by the band, with their official website confirming that Beard died yesterday while receiving hospice care at his ranch in Richmond, Texas. He was surrounded by his family, and no cause of death has been shared.

ZZ Top founder Billy Gibbons has paid tribute to Beard, describing him as “one of the most naturally innovating drummers” and a “great and true son of Texas”.

He added that Beard’s “signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top”, while confirming that the band intend to continue performing in keeping with the drummer’s wishes. Scheduled concerts in Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs have been cancelled, but they plan to play two shows at The Moody Theater in Austin this weekend, a venue they said was one of Beard’s favourites and “a second home for him”.

Beard took a temporary break from touring in March last year to undergo surgery , but returned three months later. He then stepped away again earlier this year, with Michael Monahan stepping in behind the drumkit.

Born in Frankston, Texas in 1949, Beard began playing drums as a teenager, when he met his future bandmate Dusty Hill. They played together in groups including The Cellar Dwellers, The Warlocks and The Outlaws, before Beard joined Gibbons in ZZ Top in 1969. He introduced Gibbons to Hill and the band’s classic line-up was formed.

They became synonymous with a blend of rock and blues in the ’70s, with early classic songs including ‘La Grange’, while they found greater commercial success in the ’80s with the ‘Eliminator’ album, which included ‘Gimme All Your Lovin’, ‘Sharp Dressed Man’ and ‘Legs’.