Limp Bizkit’s Sam Rivers dead at 48; bandmates pay tribute

Limp Bizkit bassist and founding member Sam Rivers has died at the age of 48.

The band announced the news on Instagram, confirming that Rivers passed away on October 18. A cause of death was not shared. 

In a heartfelt statement signed by Fred Durst, Wes Borland, John Otto, and DJ Lethal, the group remembered Rivers as “our brother, our bandmate, our heartbeat.”

“Sam Rivers wasn’t just our bass player - he was pure magic,” the statement read.

“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 rhythm that could never be replaced. His talent was effortless, his presence unforgettable, his heart enormous.”

Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Rivers co-founded Limp Bizkit with Durst in 1994. The band became one of the defining acts of the late ’90s nu-metal scene, debuting with Three Dollar Bill, Y’all in 1997 and later finding massive success with their 2000 album Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water.

Just a day before his passing, Rivers marked the anniversary of that album with an Instagram post, writing simply, “Nothing but love.”