Limp Bizkit bassist Sam Rivers has died at the age of 48.
The legendary rock group announced the tragic death in a post to social media on Sunday, saying: “Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat.”
“Sam Rivers wasn’t just our bass player — he was pure magic,” the Instagram post reads. “The pulse beneath every song, the calm in the chaos, the soul in the sound.”
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Rivers helped form the band alongside frontman Fred Durst, drummer John Otto and guitarist Wes Borland in 1994 with the aim of “rappin’ and rockin”.
Limp Bizkit’s mix of nu-metal and rap rock propelled their popularity in the late 1990s, with mainstream success on albums Significant Other, and Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavoured Water.
The success led to Rivers being voted Best Bass Player at the 2000 Gibson Awards.
“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 post added.
“We shared so many moments — wild ones, quiet ones, beautiful ones — and every one of them meant more because Sam was there.”
Rivers unexpectedly left the band in 2015 only to return several years later, explaining in 2020 that his departure was due to liver disease caused by excessive drinking, which resulted in a transplant.
A cause of death is not yet known.
“Give Sam his flowers and play Sam Rivers basslines all day,” Limp Bizkit’s DJ and producer DJ Lethal commented on the statement. “We are in shock. Rest in power my brother.”
“You will live on through your music and the lives you helped save with your music, charity work and friendships.”
“We are heartbroken.”