Early Life and Education
Frank Lee Beard
was born on
June 11, 1949,
in Frankston, Texas,
and raised in Irving.
He attended Irving High School.
As a teenager,
he met Dusty Hill
when their bands
played the same show
at a Fort Worth club,
and Hill later asked him
to join
the Warlocks.
In May 1969,
Beard joined
the Moving Sidewalks,
a band that became
ZZ Top
in July 1969.
He introduced
Billy Gibbons,
the founder of
the Moving Sidewalks,
to Hill.
After honing their trademark
"Texas boogie-blues-rock" style,
the three released
ZZ Top's First Album
on London Records
in January 1971.
Beard was initially credited
under the nickname
"Rube Beard"
on ZZ Top's
First Album
and on
Tres Hombres,
but was credited
under his actual name on
Rio Grande Mud
and on every
ZZ Top album
from 1975's
Fandango!.
Personal Life and Death
After achieving success with
ZZ Top
in the late 1970s,
Beard spent large sums of money
on drugs,
including LSD,
cocaine,
and heroin.
He later regretted the spending
and said it damaged
his relationships.
He joined a
rehabilitation program.
He recalled:
"I just wanted to get sober.
I wanted to be like people
I admired who could sit home
and watch TV
and go to bed
and that was okay [for them].
"ZZ Top went on hiatus
for three years
while Beard dealt
with his addictions.
Beard married
Debbie Meredith
in November 1982.
They had three children.
He lived in Richmond, Texas,
where he owned
and operated the
Top 40 Ranch.
He golfed and was known locally
for participation in
tournaments and community events.
Beard was long known as
the only member of
ZZ Top not to have a beard,
but he grew a short one
in 2013
In March 2025,
Beard temporarily left ZZ Top's
Elevation tour due to illness.
He returned to the band
and performed until August 2026
when he had to step away
from the tour
due to illness.
Beard died under hospice care
at his ranch in Richmond
on August 17, 2026,
at age 77.
He was the second member
of the classic
ZZ Top lineup to die,
following bassist
Dusty Hill in 2021.
Billy Gibbons
remains the
sole surviving
original member,
along with
current bassist
Elwood Francis,
who replaced Hill
