Limp Bizkit Bassist Sam Rivers Dies at 48

Longtime Limp Bizkit bassist, backing vocalist and co-founding member Sam Rivers has died at the age of 48.

The news was shared by Limp Bizkit through their Instagram account. The band shared in their statement announcing Rivers’ death, “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.”

A cause of death was not given.

What Did Limp Bizkit Say About the Death of Sam Rivers?

The group’s full message reads as follows:

In Loving Memory of Our Brother, Sam Rivers

Today we lost our brother.
Our bandmate.
Our heartbeat.

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.

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.

Rest easy, brother.
Your music never ends.

— Fred, Wes, John & DJ Lethal

A History of Sam Rivers

Born on Sept. 2, 1977, Rivers grew up in the Jacksonville, Florida area. It was in Jacksonville that he first met Fred Durst and the pair first collaborated musically in the band Malachi Sage.

Once the pair moved on to form Limp Bizkit, Rivers held down the bass spot. But he also showed his versatility on guitar when he played both instruments on the band’s Results May Vary album after Wes Borland’s exit.

Rivers served multiple stints in Limp Bizkit, exiting at one point after dealing with liver disease. He eventually returned to the band after receiving a liver transplant. The musician appeared on all six of the band’s studio albums.

READ MORE: Limp Bizkit Albums Ranked

Outside of the band, Rivers also produced several local Jacksonville bands including work with Burn Season, The Embrance,  Indorphine and Sleepkillers. He’s also previous appeared on songs with Marilyn Manson (“Redeemer”), David Draiman (“Forsaken”) and Black Light Burns (“I Have a Need”).

Loudwire sends along our condolences to the extended Limp Bizkit and Rivers families.