Sam Rivers, bassist and founding member of the nu-metal band Limp Bizkit, has died. He was 48.
His bandmates announced the news Saturday, honoring Rivers in a post shared across social media.
“Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat,” read the statement on Limp Bizkit’s official Instagram page. “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.”
They continued, “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.”
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Limp Bizkit bassist Sam Rivers performing in 2015
The post, signed by vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland and turntablist DJ Lethal, concluded with a message to their late bandmate: “We love you, Sam. We’ll carry you with us, always. Rest easy, brother. Your music never ends.”
Lethal also chimed in below the post, asking fans to respect the privacy of Rivers’ family and adding, “Give Sam his flowers and play Sam Rivers basslines all day! We are in shock. Rest in power, my brother! You will live on through your music and the lives you helped save with your music, charity work, and friendships.”
Born in Jacksonville, Fla., in 1977, Rivers began his music career in middle school, playing the tuba while his friend and future bandmate Otto played jazz drums. Rivers later expanded to bass and guitar and befriended the band’s future frontman, Durst. The duo went on to play for a short-lived band called Malachi Sage before Durst suggested they leave to explore a new sound. They regrouped with Otto and formed Limp Bizkit in 1994, adding Borland — a madcap guitarist — and former House of Pain member DJ Lethal.
The band soon aligned with the fast-rising “nu-metal” movement, releasing their first album, Three Dollar Bill Y’all, in 1997. But it was their 1999 sophomore album, Significant Other, powered by the hit single “Nookie” and a memorable metal cover of George Michael’s “Faith,” that marked their true ascent to stardom.
Limp Bizkit shot to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and the record was well received by critics. The group began enjoying new levels of commercial success, with sold-out shows and fans mobbing members for autographs.
Their third full-length effort, Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water, made history upon its 2000 release, racking up the highest debut-week sales for a rock album. It went multiplatinum.
Stuart Mostyn/Redferns
(L-R): Limp Bizkit members Sam Rivers, John Otto, Fred Durst, DJ Lethal, and Wes Borland in 2009
The group released two more records before going on hiatus in 2006, at which point Rivers worked as a producer with Jacksonville bands Burn Season and the Embraced. He continued to fill those roles when the band reunited in 2009. They released more albums in the following years, but Rivers departed in 2015, citing health reasons that he later revealed were related to alcohol abuse.
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He opened up about his struggles for Jon Wiederhorn’s 2020 book, Raising Hell, an oral history of heavy-metal lifestyles. “I got liver disease from excessive drinking,” Rivers shared in the book. “I had to leave Limp Bizkit in 2015 because I felt so horrible, and a few months after that I realized I had to change everything because I had really bad liver disease. I quit drinking and did everything the doctors told me. I got treatment for the alcohol and got a liver transplant, which was a perfect match.”
Rivers was able to rejoin Limp Bizkit in 2018 and played alongside his longtime bandmates until his death. They released their most recent album, Still Sucks, in 2021.
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