Sam Rivers, bass player and founding member of the popular nu metal band Limp Bizkit, has died, his bandmates said in an Instagram post. He was 48.
The band did not divulge a cause or location of Rivers’ death in the Saturday post. Fred Durst, Limp Bizkit lead vocalist and frontman, recalled in a Sunday video how they met at Florida club in 1994 and went on to perform and record all over the world.
“He really did have an impact on the world and his music and his gift is the one that’s going to keep on giving,” Durst said. “I just love him so much.”
The rap-rock band, known for their fusion of hip-hop, metal, and punk, rose to prominence in the late 1990s with hits like “Nookie,” “Break Stuff,” and “Rollin’.” Fronted by Durst and anchored by guitarist Wes Borland’s distinctive style, Limp Bizkit became one of the defining acts of the nu-metal era, characterized by aggressive lyrics, turntable scratches, and high-energy performances.
Rivers left the band in 2015 to receive a liver transplant, the result of years of heavy drinking, which he spoke about openly. The band reunited three years later, remained active on-and-off since, and had a tour of Central and South America scheduled to begin next month.
“Sam Rivers wasn’t just our bass player — he was pure magic,” the band wrote. “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.”
