Frank Beard, Vincent Pastore, Ben Jones, and Plaz Johnson Die

These guys were the long time drummer for the rock band ZZ Top; an actor, often cast as a mafioso, best known for his role in The Sopranos; an actor/politician best known as Cooter in the Dukes of Hazzard; and a soul-jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist, known as the tenor saxophone soloist on Henry Mancini’s “The Pink Panther Theme”.

Frank Lee Beard, the longtime drummer of ZZ Top, was born on June 11, 1949, in Frankston, Texas, and grew up in Irving, Texas, where he attended Irving High School. He became interested in music as a teenager and began playing drums at about age 15, developing his skills in the Dallas-area music scene and becoming particularly influenced by blues and rock.

Before joining ZZ Top, he played with several Texas groups, including the Cellar Dwellers, the Hustlers, the Warlocks and American Blues, the latter featuring Dusty Hill, with whom he would form one of rock music’s most enduring rhythm sections. Beard also performed behind blues legend Lightnin’ Hopkins, gaining firsthand

experience with the blues tradition that would become central to his career. In 1969, Beard joined guitarist Billy Gibbons and soon reunited with Dusty Hill, forming the classic ZZ Top lineup. The band became one of the most successful blues-rock groups in history, recording albums including Tres Hombres, Fandango!, Tejas, Degüello,

Eliminator and Afterburner and producing such enduring hits as “La Grange,” “Tush,” “Cheap Sunglasses,” “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs.” Beard’s economical but powerful drumming, blues-based rhythms and distinctive shuffle playing provided the foundation for the band’s sound throughout its career. ZZ Top’s enormous popularity during the 1980s was amplified by MTV, whose humorous and highly stylized videos helped turn the three musicians into international stars.

Beard was particularly notable because, despite his surname, he was the only member of the trio who did not wear a long beard. He remained ZZ Top’s drummer for 56 years and participated in all of the group’s major eras, including its early Texas blues period, its arena-rock success and its 1980s multimedia breakthrough. The band sold more than 50 million records worldwide and received three Grammy nominations,

while its 1983 album Eliminator became one of its most commercially successful recordings. Beard was also a co-writer of several ZZ Top songs, including “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Legs” and “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide.” His greatest formal honor came in 2004, when ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Beard’s personal life included two marriages:

he married Catherine Alexander in 1978, but they divorced in 1981, and on November 11, 1982, he married Debbie Meredith, with whom he had three children, including twin sons Rory and Nico. Beard experienced substance-abuse problems during the late 1970s and eventually entered recovery, later maintaining his sobriety.

He generally kept his private life away from the spotlight and enjoyed life at his Texas ranch when he was not touring. In later years, health problems occasionally forced him to step away from ZZ Top’s demanding touring schedule, including an emergency appendectomy in 2002 and more recent health difficulties that led to periods away from the stage in 2025 and 2026.

After Dusty Hill died in 2021, Beard and Gibbons continued ZZ Top with Elwood Francis on bass, honoring Hill’s wishes that the group continue. Beard’s health declined during 2026, and he ultimately entered hospice care at his ranch in Richmond, Texas. Frank Beard died on Monday, August 17, 2026, at the age of 77, surrounded by family and on his birthday; his exact cause of death was not disclosed. His death left Billy Gibbons as the only

surviving member of ZZ Top’s classic lineup. Beard was survived by his wife, Debbie Meredith, their three children, including Rory and Nico, and other family members. Although he was often overshadowed by ZZ Top’s flamboyant image and the enormous beards of Gibbons and Hill, Beard was the quiet musical anchor of the group, supplying the steady, swinging and unmistakably Texas-flavored drumming that helped make ZZ Top one of the most durable and recognizable bands in American rock history.

Vincent Dominic Pastore, best known for his unforgettable portrayal of Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero on HBO’s The Sopranos, was born on July 14, 1946, in the Bronx, New York, to an Italian-American family, and grew up in New Rochelle, New York, where he attended New Rochelle High School. After graduating, Pastore served three years in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War, and afterward attended

Pace University in New York, studying drama for approximately three years. Acting, however, did not immediately become his profession; he worked as a chauffeur and in the nightclub business, eventually owning clubs in New Rochelle, where he became acquainted with actors Matt and Kevin Dillon, who encouraged him to pursue acting. Pastore began appearing professionally in the late 1980s,

initially taking small roles that frequently cast him as criminals or tough guys, and his early film work included Black Roses (1988) and True Love (1989), followed by prominent supporting appearances in GoodFellas and Awakenings in 1990, Carlito’s Way in 1993 and numerous other films and television productions. His career changed dramatically when he was cast as

Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero, an old friend and mob associate of Tony Soprano, on The Sopranos; Pastore appeared in 30 episodes and brought considerable emotional depth to a character who secretly became an FBI informant before Tony and his fellow mobsters

discovered his betrayal and killed him at the end of the second season. The role made Pastore internationally famous and established him as one of television’s most recognizable character actors, although he continued working extensively in films and television afterward, appearing in productions including Gotti, Mickey Blue Eyes, Made, Shark Tale, Revolver, The Hurricane and numerous other projects.

He also appeared on Broadway, participated in reality programs including Celebrity Apprentice and Celebrity Fit Club, and remained active in entertainment and charitable work. In addition to acting, Pastore became involved in music and business ventures, including performing with his band Big Pussy and the Gangster Squad and launching Vincent Pastore’s Italian Sauce. His work on The Sopranos brought him one of his most significant professional honors when he shared the

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series with the cast in 2000; the ensemble was nominated again in 2001. Pastore’s personal life was considerably quieter than his onscreen persona. He married Nancy Berke, whom he met while working in the nightclub business, but their marriage

ended in divorce, and they had one daughter, Renee Pastore, who was his only child. Pastore was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014 and subsequently became involved in cancer awareness and charitable activities, while continuing to work in film, television and theater.

He remained closely connected with his friends and former Sopranos colleagues, particularly Michael Imperioli, and was remembered by friends and professional associates as generous, warmhearted and supportive of younger performers. In his later years he lived on City Island in the Bronx, where he continued accepting acting opportunities and remained active in the public eye.

Vincent Pastore was found dead at his home in the Bronx on Saturday, August 1, 2026, at the age of 80. Authorities reported no indication of criminality, and his exact cause of death had not been publicly established at the time of the initial reports. His manager, Robert Attermann, described him as one of the kindest and most generous people he had known, while longtime friend and costar Michael Imperioli remembered him as a kindhearted man who cared deeply about his family and friends.

Pastore was survived by his daughter, Renee Pastore. Although his career encompassed decades of film, television, theater and other entertainment work, Vincent Pastore will forever be identified most strongly with Big Pussy Bonpensiero, a complicated and ultimately tragic character whose betrayal and death became one of the most memorable storylines in The Sopranos and helped establish Pastore as an enduring figure in American television history.

Ben Lewis Jones, best known to television audiences as Cooter Davenport, the good-natured mechanic and honorary member of the Duke family on The Dukes of Hazzard, was born on August 30, 1941, in Tarboro, North Carolina, and was raised in Portsmouth, Virginia. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he studied radio, television and motion pictures and became involved in theater and the civil-rights movement. After college, Jones pursued acting and began

appearing in films and television, with early credits including the 1975 Burt Reynolds film W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings, Moonrunners, which provided inspiration for The Dukes of Hazzard, and Smokey and the Bandit. His breakthrough came in 1979 when he was cast as Cooter Davenport on The Dukes of Hazzard, the rough-and-ready Hazzard County mechanic who owned Cooter’s Garage and regularly helped Bo and Luke Duke evade Boss Hogg and Sheriff Rosco Coltrane.

Jones appeared in all seven seasons of the CBS series, which ran from 1979 through 1985, becoming one of its most popular supporting characters; he later reprised Cooter in the television movies The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! and The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood. Beyond acting, Jones developed a substantial second career in politics,

becoming a Democratic candidate for Congress and winning election in 1988 to represent Georgia’s Fourth Congressional District. He was reelected in 1990 and served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1989 through 1993, where he worked on the Veterans’ Affairs and Public Works and Transportation committees and served as a Democratic whip. After leaving Congress,

he remained involved in politics and public affairs, including an unsuccessful 1994 challenge to Republican Congressman Newt Gingrich. Jones eventually returned his attention to the character who had made him famous, opening Cooter’s Place, a chain of Dukes of Hazzard-themed museums and stores, with his wife, Alma Viator, and becoming a major organizer of DukesFest, an annual celebration for the show’s devoted fans.

He also performed with Cooter’s Garage Band, wrote a memoir, and continued making personal appearances, where his warmth, humor and unmistakable Southern personality made him a favorite among generations of fans. Jones received recognition both for his entertainment career and public service, although his most enduring distinction remained his association with Cooter,

a character whose loyalty and good humor made him one of the most beloved figures on The Dukes of Hazzard. His personal life included several relationships before his marriage to Alma Viator in 1992; the couple remained together for more than three decades and became business partners in preserving the show’s legacy. Jones had three children, Rachel,

Jeanne and Walker, and was also a stepfather to three children through his marriage to Viator; together they had ten grandchildren in their blended family. Jones had openly discussed struggles with alcoholism earlier in his life and credited his work on The Dukes of Hazzard with helping him turn his life around.

He remained active well into his eighties, continuing to greet fans, perform, attend reunions and celebrate the television series that had become such an important part of his identity. Ben Jones died on Sunday, August 9, 2026, at the age of 84, at his home in Washington, Virginia, after suffering a massive heart attack while resting in his favorite chair and preparing to watch his beloved Atlanta Braves play baseball. His death was announced by Alma Viator, who described him as the love of her life and said that he had lived a remarkably full life. Jones was survived by his wife, Alma Viator,

his children Rachel, Jeanne and Walker, his three stepchildren, and ten grandchildren. Although millions knew him simply as Cooter, Ben Jones’s life extended far beyond television: he was an actor, businessman, political figure, civil-rights participant, author, musician and devoted advocate for the cultural legacy of The Dukes of Hazzard, leaving behind a career that crossed entertainment, public service and popular culture and a character that ensured his place in television history.

Plas John Johnson Jr., the celebrated jazz and rhythm-and-blues saxophonist whose distinctive tenor solo became one of the most recognizable sounds in film music, was born on July 21, 1931, in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, into a deeply musical family; his father was a professional saxophonist, his mother played piano, and his younger brother Ray became a pianist and singer. Johnson began performing professionally as a singer at about age 10 and received a soprano saxophone from his father when he was 12, later mastering the alto, tenor and baritone saxophones as well as flute and clarinet.

He and Ray performed together in the New Orleans area before Johnson joined Charles Brown’s touring blues band in 1951. That same year he entered the U.S. Army and served during the Korean War, including playing in an Army musical ensemble. After his military service, Johnson moved to Los Angeles and studied at the Westlake School of Music,

where he received formal musical training, although his rapidly expanding recording schedule eventually caused him to leave before completing a longer course of study. His Los Angeles career quickly flourished, and he became one of the city’s most dependable and versatile session musicians, working with Johnny Otis and then becoming a regular Capitol Records session player. During the 1950s and 1960s he played on countless recordings for artists including

Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, B.B. King, Bobby Day, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye and many others, while also contributing to television and film music. Johnson’s most famous performance came in 1963, when composer Henry Mancini selected him to play the sly, smoky tenor saxophone melody on “The Pink Panther Theme”

for the film starring Peter Sellers; the recording became a Top 10 hit and the soundtrack won three Grammy Awards and received an Academy Award nomination, while the American Film Institute later ranked the score among the greatest film scores in American cinema.

Johnson also played on other familiar themes and recordings, including “Peter Gunn,” “The Odd Couple,” “Mannix” and Bobby Day’s “Rockin’ Robin,” demonstrating his ability to move effortlessly between jazz, rhythm and blues, pop and soundtrack work. From 1970 to 1984 he was a member of the studio and television band for The Merv Griffin Show,

while continuing to record and perform with leading musicians. Johnson was associated with the elite Los Angeles session community sometimes known as the Wrecking Crew, and although his name was often absent from record credits, his playing could be heard on an extraordinary number of recordings from the 1950s through the 1980s. In his later career he increasingly received recognition as a jazz artist in his own right, recording albums, touring internationally and performing at festivals and clubs,

while remaining admired by fellow musicians for his warm tone, versatility, professionalism and ability to make a memorable contribution in only a few bars. He continued performing well into his nineties and was still playing for fellow residents at his retirement community shortly before his death. Johnson’s career brought him considerable professional respect,

although he never received the kind of public celebrity associated with the singers and bandleaders whose records he helped create; the three Grammy Awards associated with “The Pink Panther Theme” and its soundtrack remain among the most notable honors connected to his work. Johnson was married first to Elizabeth Blinkenberg,

with whom he had three children, and later to Carol, with whom he also had three children. His children Eric Johnson and Stephanie Oliver confirmed his death. Plas Johnson died on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, at his home in the Granada Hills area of Los Angeles at the age of 94, six days before his 95th birthday; no cause of death was publicly disclosed. He was survived by his wife, Carol,

six children from his two marriages, and his extended family. Although Johnson recorded with some of the biggest names in American popular music, his most enduring legacy remains the haunting, effortlessly cool saxophone line on “The Pink Panther Theme,” a performance that transformed a session musician’s contribution into one of the most instantly recognizable musical signatures of the twentieth century and secured Plas Johnson’s place in the history of jazz, rhythm and blues, popular music and film scoring.