parks
ZZ Top’s longtime drummer Frank Beard dies at 77
Summary by The Midland Editorial Desk Emily Van de Riet , as published by KOSA CBS7 / First Alert 7 (Permian Basin CBS)
· August 18, 2026
· 1 min read
Photo: KOSA CBS7 / First Alert 7 (Permian Basin CBS) · view original
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Summary created by The Midland Editorial Desk — automated, rule-governed Byline on source page Emily Van de Riet, as published by KOSA CBS7 / First Alert 7 (Permian Basin CBS) Original story Read at the source Source published Aug 18, 2026 Indexed here Aug 18, 2026 AI assistance Automated summary drawn from the source’s own published text Prepublication human review No — editorial rules, flagged-item review, and published samples
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Key points Beard played drums for ZZ Top for 56 years, providing a signature backbeat that helped define the band's sound. Frank Beard, the longtime drummer for ZZ Top, has died at the age of 77.
Frank Beard, the longtime drummer for ZZ Top, has died at the age of 77. The band announced his passing in a post on Instagram, describing him as a naturally innovative drummer and a true son of Texas. Beard played drums for ZZ Top for 56 years, providing a signature backbeat that helped define the band's sound.
The band's lead singer noted that Beard's backbeat was key to the band's success. Further details about his death are not available at this time, but more information is expected to be released.
This is a breaking news story, and additional details can be found through other sources, including Variety and the band's Instagram post.
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KOSA CBS7 / First Alert 7 (Permian Basin CBS) reported and published this story. The Midland selected it, summarised the key facts above, and links to the original. We did not report this story and we added no reporting of our own to it.
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As published by KOSA CBS7 / First Alert 7 (Permian Basin CBS) . The Midland selects stories from publishers’ feeds, summarises them, and links back to the publisher that reported them. We add no reporting of our own. We attribute every source, link to the original report, and follow a documented editorial standards policy. To understand how stories are selected and reviewed, read our about page .
For the complete original report, visit KOSA CBS7 / First Alert 7 (Permian Basin CBS) . Have a tip or correction? Contact the editor .
Category: parks Published: August 18, 2026 Source: KOSA CBS7 / First Alert 7 (Permian Basin CBS) Reading time: 1 min
Frequently asked about this story
What is this story about? Frank Beard, the longtime drummer for ZZ Top, has died at the age of 77. The band announced his passing in a post on Instagram, describing him as a naturally innovative drummer and a true son of…
When was this published? This article was first published on August 18, 2026 by KOSA CBS7 / First Alert 7 (Permian Basin CBS) and curated for The Midland readers.
Who reported this story? This story was reported by Emily Van de Riet at KOSA CBS7 / First Alert 7 (Permian Basin CBS). To learn more about how The Midland selects and reviews stories, see our editorial standards .
Where can I find related coverage? See more parks coverage from The Midland, or browse our daily briefing and topic hubs .
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