Sam Rivers, bassist with nu metal band Limp Bizkit, has died, according to a statement issued by his bandmates today.
The remaining members of Limp Bizkit described Rivers, 48, as the group’s “heartbeat” in a statement posted on Instagram.
“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.”
Rivers was one of the founding members of Limp Bizkit from 1994 onwards and through the peak of the band’s noughties success with albums like 2000’s Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water and 2003’s Results May Vary.
Rivers left the group for several years in 2015, returning to the fold in 2018. He later revealed that his prolonged absence was because he had developed liver disease due to excessive drinking. He rejoined the band after recovering from a liver transplant.
Since his return to the band, Rivers regularly toured as part of Limp Bizkit: The band’s most recent concert was a headlining slot at Leeds Festival in late August.
His bandmates – singer Fred Durst, guitarist Wes Borland, keyboardist DJ Lethal and drummer John Otto – called Rivers “a true legend of legends.”
In a comment under the band’s post, band member DJ Lethal asked fans to “respect the family’s privacy at this moment” and said that the group was “heartbroken” and “in shock.”
Rivers’ final Instagram post came just one day ago, when he posted about the 25th anniversary of one of the band’s most successful albums along with the caption “nothing but love.”
As of yet, no cause of death has been publicly announced.
