Beard was in hospice care when he died at his ranch in Richmond, Texas, with family members at his side, band representative Bob Merlis said.
Born in Frankston, Texas in 1949, Beard joined ZZ Top in 1969 and followed the three-man band’s progression from heavy blues to its experimental synthesiser sound of the 1980s.
The trio also gained fame for popular music videos, including “Gimme All Your Lovin”, which won three MTV Video Music Awards.
ZZ Top’s original bassist Dusty Hill died in 2021.
The band, Billy Gibbons, bassist Elwood Francis and touring drummer Michael Monahan, has cancelled dates in Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs after Beard’s death.
The group said on social media it will continue shows this weekend at Austin City Limits in Texas, “one of Fank’s favourite venues and in a city that had been something of a second home for him”.
– AFP