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Sam Rivers, founding bassist of Limp Bizkit, died on Saturday at the age of 48. The band confirmed the news on social media without giving a cause of death.
The beginning with Fred Durst
“Today we lost our brother. Our band member. Our heartbeat,” Limp Bizkit wrote on Instagram, sharing a photo of Rivers. “Sam Rivers wasn’t just our bassist – he was pure magic. The pulse beneath every song, the calm in the chaos, the soul in the sound.”
Rivers and Fred Durst met in Jacksonville, Florida and initially played together in the short-lived band Malachi Sage. After they disbanded in 1994, they founded Limp Bizkit together with drummer John Otto. Shortly afterwards, guitarist Wes Borland joined, completing the original line-up, which was later expanded to include DJ Lethal.
“From the first note we ever played together, Sam brought a light and a rhythm that could never be replaced,” the band continued. “His talent was effortless, his presence unforgettable, his heart huge.”
Rise to rap rock greatness
Limp Bizkit released their first album “Three Dollar Bill Y’all” in 1997. But it was their second album Significant Other (1999) with the single “Nookie” that catapulted the band to the top of the Billboard 200 charts and made them one of the leading rap-rock bands of their time.
The third album “Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water” from 2000 broke sales records with the highest opening week sales of a rock album to date and achieved multi-platinum status.
Illness and comeback
While Borland left and rejoined several times from 2001 onwards (he returned in 2004) and also suspended DJ Lethal for a while, Rivers and Otto remained constant members until the band’s break in 2006. During this time, Rivers worked as a producer and took part in “Queen of the Damned: Music From the Motion Picture” in 2002.
In 2015, Rivers left Limp Bizkit due to degenerative disc disease. He later revealed in the book “Raising Hell (Backstage Tales From the Lives of Metal Legends)” that he suffered from liver disease. “I had to leave Limp Bizkit in 2015 because I was feeling so bad, and a few months later it turned out I had severe liver disease,” he said. “I stopped drinking, did everything the doctors said, got a liver transplant – it was a perfect match.” Rivers returned to the band in 2018 and remained a member until his death.
“His groove lives on”
Limp Bizkit released their latest album “Still Sucks” in 2021, their first in ten years. The song “Making Love to Morgan Wallen” was released in September 2025.
“We shared so many moments – wild, quiet, beautiful – and each one was more meaningful because Sam was there,” the band continued.
DJ Lethal commented on the Instagram post: “We love you, Sam Rivers. Please respect the family’s privacy. Give Sam his flowers and play his basslines all day! We are in shock. Rest in power, my brother! You live on in your music, your charity and your friendships. We are heartbroken. Enjoy every millisecond of life – it’s not guaranteed.”
“He was a person like no other. A true legend of legends. And his spirit will live forever – in every groove, every stage, every memory,” the band wrote. “We love you, Sam. We carry you with us always. Rest in peace, brother. Your music never ends.”