ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard dies aged 77

Frank Beard, the drummer for the Texas boogie-rock trio ZZ Top, has died at the age of 77. According to Consequence, he passed away in hospice care at his ranch in Richmond, Texas. Beard was the only member of the band without a beard and had been with ZZ Top for over half a century, propelling their blend of boogie, Southern rock, and blues.

The band has announced that they will continue their summer US tour dates, despite Beard's passing, only canceling two shows. Drummer Michael Monahan had already stepped in to replace Beard for some tour dates earlier this summer. Frontman Billy Gibbons stated that the band will "keep on keeping on" as Beard had wished.

ZZ Top's tour will resume this Friday at Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino in Eagle Pass, Texas, and will continue through to October 9th in Port Wentworth, Georgia, before embarking on a Latin American tour in November. When bassist Dusty Hill died in 2021, the band also took a short time to mourn before getting back on tour.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The New York Times, NYT Arts, Consequence — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.