Limp Bizkit Bassist Sam Rivers Dies at 48

Sam Rivers, the bassist for Limp Bizkit, has died. The band shared a statement on Instagram. He was 48.

On Saturday, Oct. 18, the nu metal band wrote a message that began with “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

DJ Lethal also paid tribute to his legacy in a comment on Instagram, writing, “We love you Sam Rivers. Please respect the family’s privacy at this moment. 🕊️ give Sam his flowers and play Sam Rivers basslines all day ! 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 💔 enjoy every millisecond of life. It’s not guaranteed.”

On Fred Durst’s Instagram, he shared a longer tribute, which you can watch in full here.

“I saw Sam play and I was blown away. He’s playing a five-string bass, too. I’ve never really seen someone using a five-string bass, and he was so smooth and good and he stood out. And I could hear nothing else but Sam, you know, everything disappeared besides his gift. I went up to Sam after the show and I said, ‘hey man, you’re unbelievable. You know, I got this idea for this band I want to do.’ And kind of threw it out there and told him what I wanted it to be. And he looked at me and he says, ‘Killer, I’m in. Let’s do it.’ I was like, ‘oh my God. Well, let’s do it.’ And you know, that’s kind of how things started to come together. I had a bass player. And after me and Sam had been jamming around and messing around for a bit, you know, I started looking around for other players and things. And Sam said, ‘well, you know, my cousin John’s a killer drummer. He’s a jazz drummer. He should jam with us.’ And I said, ‘well, jazz would be great because it’ll give us that kind of beat we want…’ It was a magical thing, the two of them, and I felt like, ‘this is it. This is what I’ve been looking for.'”

Rivers was a founding member of Limp Bizkit, which was formed in 1994 in Jacksonville, Florida. Rivers met Durst while they were working at the fast-food chain Chick-fil-A. The pair played in a short-lived band called Malachi Sage.

Limp Bizkit, known for songs like “Nookie” and “Break Stuff,” is one of the most influential bands of the 1990s and 2000s. Limp Bizkit and Method Man’s “N 2 Gether Now” became widely known as the best rap-rock collaborations of the ’90s and a frequent music video that played on MTV.

Limp Bizkit’s latest song “Battlefield: The After-party” is featured in the Battlefield 6 soundtrack.