Limp Bizkit founding bassist Sam Rivers dies at age 48
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The death of Sam Rivers, the founding bassist of American nu metal band Limp Bizkit, was made public in an Instagram post by the band on Oct 18.
PHOTO: LIMPBIZKIT/INSTAGRAM
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WASHINGTON – The founding bassist of American nu metal band Limp Bizkit, Sam Rivers, has died, the band announced on Oct 18. He was 48.
“Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat,” read a statement on Instagram attributed to band members Fred Durst, Wes Borland, John Otto and DJ Lethal.
The statement did not specify a cause of death.
“Sam Rivers wasn’t just our bass player – he was pure magic... 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 band members wrote.
Limp Bizkit were formed by Rivers and Durst in 1994. They went on to release their debut album Three Dollar Bill, Y’all in 1997.
Building on their successful sophomore album, the band’s third outing Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavoured Water debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 chart and sold more than a million copies in the first week of its 2000 release.
Rivers left the band in 2015 because he had “liver disease from excessive drinking”, he reportedly said in a book by rock writer Jon Wiederhorn.
Rivers rejoined Limp Bizkit in 2018 and was featured in the band’s most recent release, the 2021 album Still Sucks.
Band members lauded Rivers as a “true legend of legends” in their Oct 18 tribute.
“We love you, Sam. We’ll carry you with us, always,” they wrote. “Rest easy, brother. Your music never ends.”
DJ Lethal said in a comment that “we are in shock” and called for respect for the family’s privacy. AFP
