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

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/heavy-metal-news-interviews-the-loaded-radio-podcast-1112882/zz-top-s-frank-beard-dies-at-77-heavy-healing-documentary-gets-a-release-date-mtv-axes-best-rock
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/heavy-metal-news-interviews-the-loaded-radio-podcast-1112882/zz-top-s-frank-beard-dies-at-77-heavy-healing-documentary-gets-a-release-date-mtv-axes-best-rock.md
Podcast: [Heavy Metal News & Interviews: The Loaded Radio Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/heavy-metal-news-interviews-the-loaded-radio-podcast-1112882)
Published: 2026-08-19T12:35:00+00:00
Episode link: https://loadedradio.libsyn.com/zz-tops-frank-beard-dies-at-77-heavy-healing-documentary-gets-a-release-date-mtv-axes-best-rock
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/loadedradio/Metal_Breakdown_Daily_August_19.mp3?dest-id=282828
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/heavy-metal-news-interviews-the-loaded-radio-podcast-1112882/episodes/zz-top-s-frank-beard-dies-at-77-heavy-healing-documentary-gets-a-release-date-mtv-axes-best-rock
Duration seconds: 385

## Resource

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. Full stories at loadedradio.com. Stream Loaded Radio 24/7 or download the free Loaded Radio app on Apple and Google Play.

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