ZZ Top's Frank Beard Dies At 77, Heavy Healing Documentary Gets A Release Date, MTV Axes Best Rock

Wednesday, August 19, 2026. Frank Beard, ZZ Top's drummer for 56 years and the only member of the band without a beard, has died at 77 at his ranch in Texas — leaving Billy Gibbons as the last man from a lineup that never changed in half a century. The documentary Heavy Healing, about people who leaned on heavy and aggressive music through serious illness and recovery, gets a September 22 digital release with Jesse Leach, Lou Koller, Vinnie Stigma and Michael Alago among those featured. And MTV has quietly dropped the Best Rock category from the 2026 VMAs, a year after staging a major Ozzy Osbourne tribute.

Scott Penfold breaks it all down in under five minutes.

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