Limp Bizkit bassist Sam Rivers dies aged 48 as band pays tribute to their “heartbeat”

Sam Rivers, the founding bassist of Limp Bizkit, has died at the age of 48. The band confirmed his death in a statement shared on social media on October 18 2025. The cause of death has not been disclosed.

“Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat,” the band wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of Rivers. “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.”

Rivers and frontman Fred Durst first met in Jacksonville, Florida, playing together in the short-lived band Malachi Sage before forming Limp Bizkit with drummer John Otto in 1994. Guitarist Wes Borland and DJ Lethal later joined to complete the original lineup.

“From the first note we ever played together, Sam brought a light and a rhythm that could never be replaced,” the band continued. “His talent was effortless, his presence unforgettable, his heart enormous.”

Limp Bizkit released their debut album Three Dollar Bill, Y’all in 1997, achieving mainstream success with their 1999 record Significant Other, which topped the Billboard 200. Their 2000 album Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavoured Water set a record for the highest first-week sales for a rock album at the time.

Rivers left the band in 2015 due to health issues, later revealing in the book Raising Hell that he had been diagnosed with liver disease and underwent a transplant. He returned to Limp Bizkit in 2018 and remained with them until his death.

DJ Lethal wrote in response to the band’s tribute, “We love you Sam Rivers. Please respect the family’s privacy. Give Sam his flowers and play his basslines all day.”

Limp Bizkit released their most recent album Still Sucks in 2021.