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Sam Rivers, the bassist and one of the founding members of Limp Bizkit, has died. He was 48.
On Saturday, the nu metal band — which includes vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland and DJ Lethal — announced Rivers’ death on Instagram.
“Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat,” the statement began, alongside a photo of Rivers performing onstage. “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.”
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Sam Rivers, founding member and bassist of Limp Bizkit, has died. He was 48. ( David Wolff – Patrick/Redferns via Getty Images; Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
“We shared so many moments — wild ones, quiet ones, beautiful ones — and every one of them meant more because Sam was there,” the statement continued. “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.”
“We love you, Sam. We’ll carry you with us, always,” the statement concluded. “Rest easy, brother. Your music never ends.”
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Bassist Sam Rivers of Limp Bizkit performs a show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on Friday, June 20, 2025. (Yalonda M. James/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images))
A representative for the band did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
According to Loudwire, Rivers previously revealed his reasoning for stepping away from the band from 2015 to 2018.
“I got liver disease from excessive drinking,” he reportedly wrote in the book “Raising Hell: Backstage Tales From the Lives of Metal Legends.”
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Rivers, here performing with Durst in 2011, suffered from liver disease. (Kevin Nixon/Metal Hammer Magazine/Future via Getty Images/Team Rock via Getty Images)
“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,” Rivers added. “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.”