Frank Beard, the drummer of Hall of Fame rock band ZZ Top, has died at 77. The Grammy-nominated rockstar died on Monday in hospice in his Texas home surrounded by family, according to the Fort Bend County Medical Examiner. His cause of death was not released. The band’s founding member Billy F. Gibbons confirmed his death in a statement, saying, “Today, Elwood and I lost a great friend and collaborator. The world lost one of the most naturally innovative drummers and a great and true son of Texas.” ZZ Top previously canceled a show on August 5 because of Beard’s health and has since canceled shows scheduled for Tuesday in Salt Lake City and Wednesday in Colorado Springs. They plan to continue the tour in their bandmate’s honor over the weekend at Austin City Limits, one of Beard’s favorite venues. “The band of which he was part for six decades is going to keep on keeping on as he had wished,” Gibbons concluded. The band formed in 1969 and kept its original members until 2021, when bassist Dusty Hill died. Over their 52-year stretch, ZZ Top released 15 studio albums and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
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