Limp Bizkit rocker Sam Rivers, the nu metal band’s founding bassist, died at the age of 48 on Saturday, the group announced in a somber social media post.

“Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat,” Limp Bizkit wrote on Instagram, sharing photos of their fallen band member. “Sam Rivers wasn’t just our bass player — he was our magic. The pulse beneath every song, the calm in the chaos, the soul in the sound.”

The group did not disclose Rivers’ cause of death.

“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,” the band — led by frontman Fred Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, and DJ Lethal — added.

Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Rivers picked up music in middle school, initially learning the tuba to jam alongside his buddy and future Limp Bizkit drummer John Otto, who played jazz drums, Variety reported. Rivers eventually swapped his tuba for bass and guitar, teaming up with Durst to launch the short-lived band Malachi Sage before reuniting with Otto in 1994 to form Limp Bizkit.

The powerhouse band exploded onto the music scene and dominated the charts with smash hits like “Break Stuff,” “Rollin’,” and “Take a Look Around.” Over their decades-long run, the group scored three Grammy nods and sold more than 40 million records worldwide, cementing their place in rock history.

Rivers left the band in 2015 for health reasons, which he later revealed in the 2020 book *Raising Hell: Backstage Tales From the Lives of Metal Legends* were due to liver disease caused by alcohol abuse.

“I got liver disease from excessive 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 Widerhorn, per Variety.

“I quit drinking and did everything the doctors told me. I got treatment for the alcohol and got a liver transplant, which was a perfect match.”

He returned to the iconic band in 2018 and remained a key member until his death.

“We shared so many moments — wild ones, quiet ones, beautiful ones — and every one of them meant more because Sam was there,” the legendary rockers said in their Instagram post. “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.”
https://nypost.com/2025/10/18/entertainment/limp-bizkit-bassist-sam-rivers-dead-at-48/