Limp Bizkit announced the death of Sam Rivers, the band’s original bassist. He was 48.
“Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat,” the band posted to social media Saturday. “(He) wasn’t just our bass player, he was pure magic.”
Rivers was the original bassist for the nu metal band alongside Fred Durst, Wes Borland, John Otto and DJ Lethal. Nu metal is a subgenre of metal that combines additional music genres like hip hop, funk, industrial and grunge.
“From the first note we ever played together, Sam brought a light and a rhythm that could never be replaced,” the post continued. “His talent was effortless, his presence unforgettable, his heart enormous.”
The post, signed by the original members, called him a “once-in-a-lifetime kind of human, a true legend of legends” and said his “spirit will live forever in every groove, every stage, every memory.”
The band originated in the mid-1990s and started in Jacksonville, Florida, and are best known for their hits “Break Stuff,” “Rollin'” and “Take a Look Around.”
They’re still active today, though some members have been replaced throughout the years. The band has nearly 21 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
DJ Lethal commented on the post and requested the band’s fans respect Rivers’ family’s privacy.
“We are in shock,” he wrote. “We are heartbroken. Enjoy every millisecond of life. It’s not guaranteed.”
No cause of death details were revealed in the post.
Rivers’ death at 48 represents a tragically young age for a musician who helped define the nu metal sound of the late 1990s and early 2000s, a genre that dominated mainstream rock during that era before declining in popularity.
The band’s emotional tribute, describing Rivers as their “heartbeat”, reflects the foundational role bassists play in creating the rhythmic backbone that drives nu metal’s heavy, groove-oriented sound combining metal, hip hop, and funk elements.
Limp Bizkit’s commercial peak occurred between 1997 and 2003, with albums like “Significant Other” and “Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water” selling millions of copies and establishing the band as one of nu metal’s most successful acts.
The band’s continued relevance with 21 million monthly Spotify listeners demonstrates enduring appeal among fans who grew up during nu metal’s heyday and younger listeners discovering the genre through streaming platforms.
DJ Lethal’s request for privacy and his reminder to “enjoy every millisecond of life” suggests the death may have been sudden or unexpected, though the family has not released information about circumstances or cause of death.
Rivers’ Jacksonville, Florida origins connect to a regional music scene that produced several influential nu metal and alternative rock acts during the 1990s, including Limp Bizkit, which became the city’s most commercially successful musical export from that era.
The bassist’s role in Limp Bizkit’s original lineup places him among the musicians who helped create a sound that, while often critically derided, achieved massive commercial success and influenced a generation of rock and metal bands.
