Sam Rivers, the bassist in chart-topping nu metal band Limp Bizkit, died Saturday. He was 48.
Rivers’ death was announced by his bandmates, who did not reveal his cause of death or where he died. Rivers previously underwent a liver transplant.
“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,” the band wrote in an Instagram post. “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.”
Rivers helped found Limp Bizkit in the 1990s alongside frontman Fred Durst, who recounted their origins in his own Instagram video.
“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.”
Rivers, Durst and the rest of Limp Bizkit released their first album, “Three Dollar Bill, Y’all,” in 1997 and quickly gained popularity with their unique blend of rock, metal and rap. Their third album, 2000’s “Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water,” set a record for most sales in the first week for a rock album.
In the mid-2010s, Rivers left the band for a three-year stretch. He later revealed he was battling kidney disease and needed a transplant after years of heavy drinking.
“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 told author Jon Wiederhorn for his book “Raising Hell.” “I got treatment for the alcohol and got a liver transplant, which was a perfect match.”
Rivers returned to the band in 2018 and was part of its most recent album, 2021’s “Still Sucks,” and single, “Making Love to Morgan Wallen.” The band is scheduled to tour Central and South America beginning in November.
