Limp Bizkit Bassist Sam Rivers Dies at 48
Limp Bizkit bassist Sam Rivers has died, the band announced today, October 19, 2025.
“Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat,” the band wrote in a statement posted to their official Instagram account alongside a photo of Rivers performing. “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’ cause of death has not been disclosed.
Rivers co-founded the nu-metal band, formed in Florida in the mid-1990s, alongside frontman Fred Durst, with drummer John Otto and guitarist Wes Borland joining shortly after. Known for their fusion of heavy metal, hip-hop, and alternative rock, Limp Bizkit rose to prominence in the early 2000s, becoming a defining act of the nu-metal genre. Rivers previously left the band in 2015 due to health issues, revealing he suffered from liver disease caused by excessive drinking and later received a liver transplant. He rejoined the group in 2018.
“He was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of human,” the band’s statement continued, signed by Durst, Borland, Otto, and DJ Lethal. “A true legend of legends. And his spirit will live forever in every groove, every stage, every memory.” Nu-metal experienced a resurgence in popularity in recent years, and Rivers’ contributions were central to the band’s enduring appeal. Further details regarding memorial arrangements will be announced when available, according to the band’s representatives.
