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The shock is deep. Just hours after it was confirmed that Sam Rivers – founding bassist, producer and, according to the band, the “heart of Limp Bizkit” – had died at the age of 48, many fans are wondering: How is the group dealing with the loss and do they still want to perform the planned performances? In Germany, headlining shows at Rock am Ring and Rock im Park are scheduled for 2026.
Rivers was considered the sonic foundation that helped shape the sound of nu metal in the late 1990s. Limp Bizkit only sealed their comeback in September with the new song “Making Love to Morgan Wallen”. But with Rivers’ death, the band’s future is uncertain.
What the band says
“We love you, Sam,” the band wrote and are now taking their time to say goodbye. But sooner or later Limp Bizkit will be faced with the question of a replacement. Whether they will play their live dates with a new bassist will have to be decided in the coming months.
Limp Bizkit already had other bassists to support them, at least for live performances. Samuel G. Mpungu has been playing with the band since 2015. Tsuzumi Okai also took over the bass position in 2018. It is conceivable that one of the two will be used again live.
Sam Rivers: How did the Limp Bizkit bassist die?
In 2015, Sam 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.