Sam Rivers, the bassist and founding member of Limp Bizkit, has died at the age of 48. The band confirmed his passing in a social media statement on Saturday, though no cause of death or additional details were provided.
As one of the core forces behind Limp Bizkit’s rise in the late 1990s, Rivers helped shape the sound of nu-metal—a genre that fused heavy metal, hip-hop, and punk into a distinctive and influential style. The band became one of the best-selling acts of its era.
In their tribute, the band described Rivers as “the pulse beneath every song, the calm in the chaos, the soul in the sound.”
Born on September 2, 1977, in Jacksonville, Florida, Rivers began playing music as a teenager. At 18, he was discovered by Fred Durst, the band’s lead vocalist, who saw him perform at a local bar. Durst, then 25, was struck by Rivers’s talent, recalling in an Instagram video, “Everything disappeared besides his gift.”
After the show, Durst approached him about forming a band. Rivers immediately agreed, saying, “Killer, I’m in. Let’s do it.” Together, they began jamming and soon recruited drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, and later, DJ Lethal. Limp Bizkit officially formed in 1994, with DJ Lethal joining in 1996.
The group’s breakthrough came with their 1999 album Significant Other, which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album and solidified their place in the nu-metal movement.
Reflecting on Rivers’s musicianship, Durst said, “He had this ability to pull this beautiful sadness out of the bass that I’ve never heard.” He also shared that he had “gone through gallons and gallons of tears” since hearing the news of his friend’s death.
Details about Rivers’s survivors have not been made public.
