With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive.
Sam Rivers, bassist and founding member of Limp Bizkit, dies aged 48
Sam Rivers of Limp Bizkit performs onstage at KROQ Weenie Roast & Luau at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point in 2019.
(
Kevin Winter
/
Getty Images for KROQ
)
Sam Rivers, bassist for rock band Limp Bizkit, has died. He was 48 years old.
Rivers' death was confirmed by the band, who wrote online on Saturday: "today we lost our brother".
"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," Limp Bizkit said in a social media post Saturday. "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."
The band did not share any details about his death.
Support for LAist comes from
Rivers' last post on social media was on Friday, in which he shared a "Save The Date" video for Limp Bizkit performing at the Rock for People festival in Hradec Králové, a city in the Czech Republic, in June 2026. Rivers and his bandmates last performed in August at the Leeds Festival in the United Kingdom.
In 2015, Rivers left the band after suffering from liver disease but rejoined the group in 2018.
"I got liver disease from excessive drinking … I had to leave Limp Bizkit in 2015 because I felt so horrible, and a few months after that I realized I had to change everything because I had really bad liver disease," Rivers said during an interview with Variety. "I quit drinking and did everything the doctors told me. I got treatment for the alcohol and got a liver transplant, which was a perfect match."
The nu-metal band skyrocketed in popularity in the '90s, being nominated for three Grammys. Their hits, including "Rollin'" and "Nookie," also landed on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
Fred Durst, fellow bandmate and frontman for Limp Bizkit, remembered the first time he heard Rivers play at a Jacksonville, Florida bar while searching for bandmates to form the group. Rivers was playing in a band at the bar and Durst said he was "killing it on the bass."
"I saw Sam play and I was blown away," Durst recalled in a video posted on social media Sunday morning. "He's playing a five-string bass too. I'd never really seen someone using a five-string bass… he was so smooth and good and he stood out. I could hear nothing else but Sam… everything disappeared besides his gift."
Support for LAist comes from
When he approached Rivers after his performance and told him that he wanted to form a band, Durst said the bassist didn't hesitate.
"He looked at me and he says ,'Killer. I'm in. Let's do it'," Durst recalled. "I've gone through gallons and gallons of tears since yesterday and… I'm thinking, 'My God, Sam's a legend….he did it. He lived it.'"
Limp Bizkit's new single, "Making Love to Morgan Wallen," topped several Billboard charts in September.
Copyright 2025 NPR
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Kevin Lacy has an obsession with documenting California’s forgotten and decaying places. -
Restaurants share resources in the food hall in West Adams as Los Angeles reckons with increasing restaurant closures. -
It will be the second national day of protest against President Donald Trump. -
The university says the compact, as the Trump administration called it, could undermine free inquiry and academic excellence. -
This is the one time you can do this legally! -
Metro officials said it will be able to announce an opening date “soon.”
Best of LAist