Limp Bizkit Announces Death of Bassist Sam Rivers at 48: ‘Today We Lost Our Brother’

Limp Bizkit bassist Sam Rivers has died, the band announced in a statement. He was 48.

On Saturday, Oct. 18, the nu metal band shared a post on Instagram announcing that Rivers had died earlier in the day. The group did not share his cause of death.

“Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat,” the band wrote in the caption, alongside a photo of Rivers performing onstage.

“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,” the band continued. “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,” the Limp Bizkit members continued. “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,” the post concluded, with a signoff from the band’s vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland and turntablist DJ Lethal.

In a comment underneath the post, Lethal chimed in to ask the “Break Stuff” band’s fans to respect Rivers’ family’s privacy.

“Give Sam his flowers and play Sam Rivers basslines all day!” the DJ wrote. “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 ✌️.”

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Rivers was a founding member of Limp Bizkit, after he befriended Durst while working a retail job. The pair played together in the band Malachi Sage before forming their long-running nu-metal group in 1994.

Limp Bizkit, known for songs including “Behind Blue Eyes” and “Take a Look Around,” went on to become one of the most influential groups of the late 1990s and 2000s.