Sam Rivers, a longtime Limp Bizkit bassist, backing vocalist, and co-founding member, died at the age of 48. Limp Bizkit announced the news on their Instagram account. The band said in a statement announcing Rivers' death, "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." An exact cause of death was not given. In a comment on the post, turntablist DJ Lethal asked to respect the family's privacy.
"Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat," the band wrote in the caption, 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," the band continued. "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."
“I got liver disease from excessive drinking,” Rivers says in the book. He explains that he left Limp Bizkit in 2015 after his health deteriorated and later underwent a liver transplant in 2017. “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,” he adds.
Rivers, who rejoined the band in 2018, recalls doctors warning him that he would die without quitting alcohol. “It got so bad I had to go to UCLA Hospital, and the doctor said, ‘If you don't stop, you're going to die. And right now, you're looking like you need a new liver.’”
Known for hits such as “Behind Blue Eyes” and “Take a Look Around,” Limp Bizkit rose to prominence as one of the most influential bands of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
"Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat," the band wrote in the caption, 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," the band continued. "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."
Sam Rivers's past health issues
Limp Bizkit bassist Sam Rivers revealed in Jon Wiederhorn’s book Raising Hell (Backstage Tales From the Lives of Metal Legends) that he suffered due to liver disease caused by excessive drinking, reports Loudwire.“I got liver disease from excessive drinking,” Rivers says in the book. He explains that he left Limp Bizkit in 2015 after his health deteriorated and later underwent a liver transplant in 2017. “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,” he adds.
Rivers, who rejoined the band in 2018, recalls doctors warning him that he would die without quitting alcohol. “It got so bad I had to go to UCLA Hospital, and the doctor said, ‘If you don't stop, you're going to die. And right now, you're looking like you need a new liver.’”
Who was Sam Rivers
Born on September 2, 1977, Sam Rivers grew up in the Jacksonville, Florida area. He co-founded Limp Bizkit after meeting frontman Fred Durst while working at a retail job. The two first played together in a local band called Malachi Sage before forming what would become the iconic nu-metal group in 1994.Known for hits such as “Behind Blue Eyes” and “Take a Look Around,” Limp Bizkit rose to prominence as one of the most influential bands of the late 1990s and early 2000s.