He played on all 15 of the band’s studio albums and helped drive some of their biggest hits, including “La Grange,” “Tush,” “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs.”

Following Hill’s death in 2021, Beard and Gibbons continued ZZ Top with longtime guitar technician Elwood Francis on bass.

Now, Gibbons is mourning the loss of another longtime bandmate.

“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,” Gibbons said. “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.”

ZZ Top’s distinctive blues-rock sound made the group an international sensation, particularly during the MTV era of the 1980s. Their album Eliminator produced massive hits including “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs,” while the band’s unmistakable Texas image became just as iconic as its music.

In 2004, ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Beard once reflected on his extraordinary run with the band in the 2019 documentary ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band from Texas.

“I’ve found the people I was meant to play with,” he said. “I never wanted to quit, and never wanted to get fired.”

Drummer Frank Beard of ZZ Top promotes their new album “La Futura” at J&R Music World on September 11, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Matthew Eisman/WireImage)
With Beard’s death, another chapter in one of rock music’s longest-running stories has come to an end.

He is survived by his wife, Debbie Meredith, and three children.

Rest in peace, Frank Beard.