TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Frank Beard, the longtime drummer of Texas rock band ZZ Top and the only member of the trio without the group’s trademark full beard, has died at 77.
The New York Times reported that Beard died Monday while receiving hospice care, according to a statement posted on ZZ Top’s website. The statement did not disclose a cause of death.
Billy Gibbons, ZZ Top’s frontman and Beard’s longtime bandmate, paid tribute to the drummer in a statement shared on Facebook.
“Today, Elwood and I lost a great friend and collaborator,” Gibbons wrote, referring to bassist Elwood Francis, who joined ZZ Top in 2021. He described Beard as one of the most innovative drummers and praised his “signature backbeat” for helping keep the band at the top.
Beard’s death came days after ZZ Top canceled a scheduled appearance at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on Aug. 5. The band had cited unspecified health issues involving Beard, according to The New York Times, citing a band representative.
USA Today previously reported that Beard had been unable to continue touring because of health problems. A representative for the band confirmed that Beard was ill and that a replacement drummer would perform with Gibbons and Francis.
Michael Monahan, who has previously filled in for Beard, was named as his touring replacement.
Frank Beard Was ZZ Top's Only Member Without a Full Beard
Beard was a founding member of ZZ Top and had been behind the drum kit for more than five decades.
The band rose to prominence in the early 1970s with a distinctive mix of boogie, Southern rock and blues. ZZ Top later became one of the most recognizable rock acts in the United States, particularly during the 1980s.
Gibbons and bassist Dusty Hill became famous for their long beards, while Beard famously wore only a mustache. His lack of a full beard became a running joke among fans and an ironic contrast with the band's image.
ZZ Top reached a new level of mainstream success in the 1980s with synthesizer-driven hits including “Legs” and “Sharp-Dressed Man,” which received heavy rotation on MTV.
Despite the band's visual emphasis on beards, Beard remained an integral part of its sound, providing the rhythmic foundation for ZZ Top's blues-influenced rock.
Beard Had Previously Taken Breaks From Touring
Beard had experienced health problems before and had previously stepped away from ZZ Top's touring schedule.
According to USA Today, he temporarily left the band's Elevation Tour in 2025 for an undisclosed medical procedure. John Douglas filled in for him during that period.
Douglas had also previously replaced Beard when he underwent emergency appendectomy surgery in 2002.
Beard was the second-longest-serving member of ZZ Top after Gibbons. Bassist Dusty Hill, another original member of the group, died in 2021 and was subsequently replaced by Francis.
ZZ Top had been continuing its extensive The Big One Tour before Beard's health issues forced changes to the schedule. The tour included a 34-date U.S. leg in the spring, a 21-date European run in June and July, followed by dozens of U.S. shows scheduled through Oct. 9.
The band also has eight performances scheduled in Mexico and South America in November.
Following Beard's death, Gibbons said the band would continue its tour with a replacement drummer. ZZ Top had canceled performances in Sandy, Utah, and Colorado Springs following Beard's death.
For more than 50 years, Frank Beard's steady drumming helped define ZZ Top's signature sound, while his status as the band's famously “beardless” member became one of the enduring jokes surrounding the Texas rock trio.
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