Sam Rivers of Limp Bizkit performs at the Inkcarceration Music and Tattoo Festival on Friday, July 14, 2023, at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)
Sam Rivers, founding member and bassist of Limp Bizkit, has died, the band announced Saturday. He was 48.
The band confirmed Rivers’ passing on an Instagram post. They did not share the cause of his death.
“Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat,” the band’s message reads. “Sam Rivers wasn’t just our bass player — he was pure magic. The pulse beneath every song, the calm in the chaos, the soul in the sound.
From the first note we ever played together, Sam brought a light and a rhythm that could never be replaced. His talent was effortless, his presence unforgettable, his heart enormous. We shared so many moments — wild ones, quiet ones, beautiful ones — and every one of them meant more because Sam was there.
He was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of human. A true legend of legends. And his spirit will live forever in every groove, every stage, every memory.”
The message was signed by Rivers’ bandmates, Fred Durst, Wes Borland, John Otto and DJ Lethal.
The nu-metal band was formed in 1994 in Jacksonville, Florida. Rivers met lead vocalist Durst while the two were working at a Chick-fil-A restaurant, according to Deadline.
Limp Bizkit grew in popularity and became one of the genre’s most influential groups of the late ‘90s to 2000s. Best known for tracks such as “Break Stuff,” “Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle),” “Take A Look Around,” and “My Way,” the band has released six studio albums, many of which have been platinum-certified.
In 2015, Rivers left the group due to liver disease complications from excessive drinking, Deadline reports. He received a liver transplant and, three years later, rejoined the band and played with them until his death.
“We love you, Sam,” the band’s Instagram message reads. “We’ll carry you with us, always. Rest easy, brother. Your music never ends.”
