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Obituaries: Tributes Pour in to ZZ Top's Frank Beard, Actor/Singer Hayden Panettiere
This week we also acknowledge the passing of Hall of Fame blues/R&B singer Latimore and legendary Australian music industry veteran Johnny Young.
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Frank Lee Beard, drummer with Texan rock greats ZZ Top for 56 years, died on Aug. 17, at age 77.
A press release from longtime band publicist Bob Merlis confirmed his passing, stating that Beard was “in hospice care when he passed away at his ranch in Richmond, TX with family members at his side.”
A Guardian obituary reported that ''Beard was born in Frankston, Texas, and grew up in Irving, part of the Dallas-Fort Worth conurbation, where he attended Irving high school. Taking inspiration from the arrival of the Beatles and also the blues, he began playing the drums in his teens and recalled how, 'I discovered all the blues joints in Dallas where you could hear a lot of great players like [the guitarist] Freddie King.'''
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''It was around this time he first met ZZ Top’s future bass player, Dusty Hill, a Dallas native who had started his musical career playing in the Starliners, alongside his brother Rocky, a guitarist. From 1966 to 1968, the Hill brothers and Beard played together in a string of bands including the Warlocks, the Cellar Dwellers and American Blues.
''In 1968 Beard, now married and with a young child, moved to Houston, where Billy Gibbons had been playing in a psychedelic band, the Moving Sidewalks. In 1969 Gibbons formed the first version of ZZ Top, with Dan Mitchell on drums and Lanier Greig on bass and keyboards, but after they released a debut single, Salt Lick, Beard was brought in to replace Mitchell.''
A Billboard obituary reports that ''Beard had served as stickman for ZZ Top since 1969, when he made the jump from the more psychedelic-oriented local group American Blues to ZZ Top. At that point, the latter group consisted of Beard, singer-guitarist Billy Gibbons and bassist Billy Ethridge. After Ethridge quit the band and was replaced by Dusty Hill, the band’s power-trio lineup was locked in, and would not change for the next half-century.''
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''ZZ Top became national rock stars in the mid-’70s with the release of Tres Hombres, with Beard’s explosive-but-swinging drumming playing a huge part in the band’s sonic identity. While 'La Grange,' the album’s breakout hit single and a future classic-rock radio staple, is perhaps best remembered for Gibbons’ limber guitar riffing and haw-haw-haw vocal sleaze, equally crucial was Beard’s frisky stick-tapping on the song’s intro and clipped gallop on its main groove.
''ZZ Top's highly successful run continued throughout the late ’70s and early ’80s, hitting the Billboard Hot 100’s top 40 with the horny rave-up 'Tush' and the spiky Sam + Dave cover 'I Thank You. During this time, Beard struggled with substance abuse, with the band going on hiatus in the late ’70s as Beard dealt with his issues. He got clean in the early ’80s, and shortly after, ZZ Top really went into mid-’80s commercial overdrive, thanks largely to the advent of MTV — a format not often charitable to the AOR rockers of yesteryear, but one that ZZ Top embraced with particular élan, becoming music video icons as the mystical hairy dudes with the fuzzy guitars, the cool car and the hot chicks. (Ironically, Beard was the one member of the group to go clean-shaven; 'Frank’s beard is on his driver’s license,' quipped Gibbons).'''
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1983 album Eliminator spawned MTV smashes “Gimme All Your Lovin,” “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs” and would ultimately be certified diamond by the RIAA, becoming the group’s biggest album.
The similarly crossover-friendly Afterburner in 1985 also went multi-platinum, but a five-year gap until 1990’s Recycler saw them lose momentum.
Billboard notes that ''The group released two albums in the 21st century, 2003’s Mescalero and 2012’s La Futura, and continued to tour with the same three-man lineup it had held since 1969, the longtime consistency of its lineup an extreme rarity among popular rock bands.
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''In 2004, the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2019, it was the subject of the Netflix documentary That Little Ol’ Band From Texas. The group was finally forced into lineup changes with the death of Hill in 2021, with longtime guitar tech Elwood Francis replacing him at live performances. Now, with Beard’s death, Gibbons remains the lone living member from the group’s classic lineup.''
The Guardian observes that ''Beard was an indispensable fixture in their live performances, apart from brief interludes caused by illness in 2002 and 2005. Earlier this month, he was forced to miss further shows on ZZ Top’s The Big One! Tour, including a date at the Hollywood Bowl.''
Upon news of Beard's passing, ZZ Top canceled its upcoming shows in Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs, but has now resumed its current tour.
Peers and fans were quick to pay tribute to Frank Beard on social media.
A statement from Billy Gibbons reads: “Today, Elwood and I lost a great friend and collaborator, and the world lost one of the most naturally innovative drummers and a great and true son of Texas. His signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top.”
Veteran Canadian blues-rock star Colin James sent Billboard Canada this tribute: ''ZZ Top has been such a rock institution over all these years. Touring with them in Canada and the US on the Recycler tour years back was such a thrill for our young band. Great forever memories. RIP Frank Beard.''
The Jeff Healey Band's bassist Joe Rockman offered this tribute to Beard and ZZ Top to Billboard Canada. ''The Jeff Healey Band did several tours opening for ZZ Top throughout the USA and some in the EU. We also did a cover version of ZZ Top’s 'Blue Jean Blues' on our debut album.''
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''They were great supporters of Jeff and the Band and treated us like a brotherhood. We had a blast on these tours, especially when they had female dancers from the videos touring with them for their show. Some of the day off parties still resonate with me to this day!
''We always joked about Frank Beard being the only band member without a beard! We never asked him about this, but it seems to me this was purposeful and it is great as a humourous effect.''
''Frank was the solid backbone of this incredible blues rock trio. His signature style for a blues rock shuffle on the drums set a standard for many other drummers, including ours. We have lost a beloved pivotal member of the blues rock community, but I believe that his passing will inspire all lovers of blues rock to focus on his understated but crucial role in ZZ Top.''
Another Canadian musician supplying Billboard Canada with an homage to Beard was Toronto drummer, singer-songwriter and producer Derek Downham (The Beauties, Andy Kim). He writes that ''If you were a drummer growing up on classic rock radio as I did, Frank Beard’s playing on ZZ Top’s 'La Grange' was a game changer. 'La Grange' is a pitch-perfect rock shuffle of the highest order.
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''He was much more than just a shuffle king. He redefined blues drumming and ushered it into an era all his own. I implore everyone to dive into the oft-slept on record Tejas from 1976, specifically the track 'El Diablo.' This track changed how I approached drums. Frank’s command of left hand ghost notes and single-kick pedal doubles about halfway through the song is some of the most seductive, hypnotic and compassionate drumming in history. Fight me.
''Pre-Eliminator-era ZZ Top is a pirates booty of boogie-infused inspiration. About ten years ago I was granted a meet with the band as we were playing the same venue the night after them. It’s a story for another time, but I will say this: Real, lifer musicians do not retire. They play until the wheels fall off, usually to the chagrin of some members of the public.
''I will be one of those musicians. Frank Beard was one of those musicians. He played until he no longer could, through battles with addiction and health. Many told him to hang it up long ago. He never did. I have huge, huge respect for that. It was always about the music. Rest, Frank.''
Hayden Panettiere, an actress and singer best known for playing rising country star Juliette Barnes on the hit TV series Nashville, died on Aug. 16, at age 36. A cause of death has not been reported.
Billboard 's obituary notes that ''Though she built her career primarily as an actress, Panettiere had a significant musical footprint through Nashville, in which she starred from 2012 to 2018 as the ambitious country-pop star Juliette Barnes opposite Connie Britton. Her performances anchored the show’s companion soundtrack series, released through Big Machine Records, which became a consistent presence on Billboard’s charts.
''The debut soundtrack, The Music of Nashville: Season 1, Volume 1, debuted at No. 14 on the Billboard 200 and No. 4 on Top Country Albums in 2012, selling 56,000 copies in its first week, and the series’ installments regularly reached the upper tiers of the country and soundtrack charts across the show’s run. Her recordings as Juliette Barnes — including 'Telescope,' 'Don’t Put Dirt on My Grave Just Yet' and duets such as 'Wrong Song'— earned her a following among country listeners, and she twice received Golden Globe nominations for the role.'' They were both in the category of best supporting actress – series, miniseries or television film.
Panettiere also made numerous concert appearances associated with the show's touring promotion. Working closely with her on the music for Nashville and in associated live concerts was acclaimed Canadian roots musician, singer-songwriter and producer Colin Linden, credited as the musical director for the series.
When contacted by Billboard Canada, Linden offered this tribute to Panettiere: ''Hayden was a sweetheart. The enthusiasm she had for playing a singer in Nashville was contagious. The respect she had both for the music and the music community here in Nashville made her a lot of friends in our world. She was very conscious of representing the music with energy and respect, and she was wonderful to work with on the music shoots.''
Linden also notes that ''she sang live as well on a number of different occasions celebrating the music of the show, and she did very well. I always felt that she was a better singer than she ever gave herself credit for being. She sang a song in the final episode of Season 1 called 'Nothing In This World Will Ever Break My Heart Again' that I thought was just about the best song ever used on the show (out of the over 300 played.)
''She sang it live at [famed Nashville theatre] the Ryman on one of our On The Record shows that we filmed, and though she was extremely nervous, she absolutely slayed it. In the first couple years of the show especially, she would come out to shows and clubs in town, and she came out to our regular Tuesday night blues gig in Printers Alley with the Whitey Johnson band several times.
''She was a lot of fun to be around and brought a lot of life to the room when she would be there. I am so saddened that she has left so very early.''
Panettiere had made a mark on the music scene prior to Nashville, as Billboard reports. ''As a teenager, she recorded songs for family films and teen-pop compilations, and after being cast as Claire Bennet on the NBC superhero series Heroes, she signed with Hollywood Records and released the 2008 single 'Wake Up Call.'''
She often sang the soundtracks for the films in which she also starred and was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1999 for A Bug's Life., in the best spoken word album for children category. In 2004, she recorded "My Hero Is You" for Tiger Cruise and "Someone Like You," a duet with Watt White for The Dust Factory.
The following year, she recorded "I Fly" for Ice Princess. She recorded a song for the Hollywood Records compilation Girl Next (2006) and another song titled "Go to Girl" for Girl Next 2 (2007). Also in 2007, she recorded a cover for "Cruella De Vil" for Disneymania 5, "Try" for the Bridge to Terabithia soundtrack, and a ballad titled "I Still Believe" for Cinderella III: A Twist in Time. Panettiere's first single not associated with an acting role, "Wake Up Call", was released in 2008.
Born in Palisades, New York, Panettiere began acting as a child, appearing in Ally McBeal, Remember the Titans and Message in a Bottle, and voicing a character in Pixar’s A Bug’s Life, before her breakout role on Heroes in 2006. Her later credits included Scream 4 and Scream VI, I Love You, Beth Cooper and the TV movie Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy.
In May 2026, Panettiere released a memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, and spoke publicly about her experiences with fame, motherhood and mental health, including postpartum depression.
Latimore (born Benjamin William Lattimore), an American blues and R&B singer, songwriter, and pianist, died on Aug. 22, at age 86.
An obituary in Jubilee Cast notes that ''Born in Charleston, Latimore grew up surrounded by an intriguing mixture of country music, blues and the sounds of his Baptist church. He sang in church as a young man, with hymns and congregational music becoming part of the musical foundation that would eventually feed into his distinctive Southern soul sound. Gospel and church singing were part of the musical soil from which his voice grew.
''After entering the professional music world during the 1960s, Latimore eventually found his breakthrough after signing with Glades Records. His rendition of the blues standard 'Stormy Monday' gave him a significant R&B hit in 1973, but the following year everything changed.
''"Let's Straighten It Out" became the record that would follow him for the rest of his life. The smouldering relationship song climbed all the way to No. 1 on the R&B chart in 1974, turning Latimore into a major soul star.'' The track also crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100 at Number 31.He followed it with further R&B successes including 'Keep the Home Fire Burnin'"'and 'Somethin' 'Bout 'Cha.'''Latimore joined Malaco Records in the 1980s and became part of the Southern soul and blues world that maintained an intensely loyal audience even when mainstream pop radio was looking elsewhere. He later reunited with producer Henry Stone [they worked together in the 'mid 60s at the Dade label]to establish LatStone Records and continued recording and performing well beyond the era that first made him famous.He remained a respected pianist and session musician and his work was featured on British soul singer Joss Stone's albums The Soul Sessions and Mind Body & Soul. In 2014, decades after "Let's Straighten It Out" first made him a star, he even appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.Latimore was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2017.
Johnny Young (Johnny Benjamin Arthur de Jong ), a noted Australian singer, songwriter, record and TV producer, died on Aug. 13, at age 79, of pancreatic cancer.
In its obituary, Noise11 calls him ''One of the most influential figures in the development of Australian popular music and television. Young leaves a career spanning more than six decades, beginning as a teenage pop singer before expanding into songwriting, record production, radio, television production and broadcasting.''
Young was born in the Netherlands, migrating with his family to Western Australia at a young age. Music became an early influence through his mother, who sang in a choir, and Young began performing while still a teenager.
His first significant national success came in 1966 with Johnny Young & Kompany and the double A-side single “Step Back” and “Cara-Lyn”. “Step Back”, written by Stevie Wright and George Young of The Easybeats, became a number one hit on the Go-Set National Top 40.
Young followed it with further chart success, including his recording of The Beatles’ “All My Loving,” which reached number four nationally. Young was also becoming a television personality, hosting The Go!! Show in 1967 and winning a Logie for best teenage personality that year. His early television work placed him at the centre of Australia’s rapidly developing pop culture, when television, radio and recorded music were becoming increasingly interconnected.
Noise11 notes that ''Young’s importance to Australian music extended well beyond his own recordings. As a songwriter, he wrote 'The Real Thing' for Russell Morris, a song that became one of the defining Australian recordings of the late 1960s. It reached number one in 1969 and established Young as an important songwriter as well as a performer. He also wrote other hits for Morris, Ross D. Wyllie, Ronnie Burns and Lionel Rose.'' He also contributed works for The Seekers, Herman’s Hermits and others.
''Young’s greatest television achievement began in 1971 with Young Talent Time. The program ran on Network Ten from 1971 until 1988, with Young as host and producer. Across its 18-year original run, the series became an important training ground for young Australian performers and helped introduce audiences to future stars including Tina Arena, Dannii Minogue, Jamie Redfern and Debra Byrne. Young Talent Time became part of the fabric of Australian television, with its regular combination of contemporary pop performances, young performers and family variety.''
A Billboard obituary of Young reports that ''He was a natural in front of the cameras, and it was through the medium of TV that Young would become a household name, initially as host of the Go Show, and later with his own primetime show Young Talent Time. That show first aired April 24, 1971, and would become one of the country’s longest running TV programs, airing for 18 seasons until 1988, with a reboot in 2012. A total of 819 episodes beamed out. A reunion show was taped in 2023 to celebrate its 52nd anniversary.''
After the show's cancellation in 1988, Young continued working across music, radio and television, hosting shows and performing live and remained involved with the entertainment industry. A new version of Young Talent Time was produced by Network Ten in 2012, with Young serving as an executive producer and judge. In 2021, he participated in Young Talent Time: Unmasked, marking the show’s 50th anniversary alongside former performers including Arena and Dannii Minogue.
His contribution was formally recognized in both Australian music and television. Young was inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame in 1990 for his contribution to Australian television. In 2010, he was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, making him the first person to be inducted into both the Logies and ARIA halls of fame. He was later inducted into the Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015 and the West Australian Music Industry Awards Hall of Fame in 2019.
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