Longtime ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard has died aged 77, the band said.

A statement on the blues-rock band's website said he died on Monday in hospice care at his ranch in Richmond, Texas, with family members at his side. His cause of death was not specified.

Beard's passing "necessitates the cancellation" of the band's tour dates this week in Utah and Colorado, the statement said.

ZZ Top was founded in 1969 and played their first live concert the following year. Together they released 15 studio and four live albums, with hit singles like Gimme All Your Lovin', Sleeping Bag, and Viva Las Vegas.