On Saturday, October 18, 2025, the band Limp Bizkit announced that Sam Rivers, the founding bassist and integral member, had tragically passed away at the age of 48. As of now, there has been no official word on what specifically caused Rivers’ death. However, it is widely known that he had a well-documented history of liver disease caused by excessive alcohol consumption.
Band Honors “Pure Magic”
In response to this devastating loss, Limp Bizkit members Fred Durst, Wes Borland, John Otto, and DJ Lethal wrote a deeply heartfelt post on Instagram, expressing their grief: “Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. The beat of our hearts. Sam Rivers wasn’t just our bass player; he was pure magic.” Furthermore, the band continued by sharing, “He was the pulse behind every song, the calm in the chaos, and the soul in the sound. From the first note we ever played together, Sam brought a light and a rhythm that could never be replaced.”
From Jacksonville to the Top of the Nu Metal Charts
Looking back at his career, Rivers co-founded Limp Bizkit in 1994 in Jacksonville, Florida, alongside childhood friend and drummer John Otto, as well as frontman Fred Durst. Subsequently, the band achieved massive commercial success with their albums “Significant Other” (1999) and “Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water” (2000), both of which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200. As a result of this success, their unique fusion of heavy metal, hip-hop, and alternative rock produced unforgettable hits including “Nookie,” “Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle),” “Take a Look Around,” and “Behind Blue Eyes.”
Health Problems and Remarkable Comeback
Unfortunately, Rivers temporarily left the band in 2015 due to severe liver disease stemming from chronic alcohol abuse. In the 2020 book “Raising Hell: Backstage Tales From the Lives of Metal Legends,” Rivers candidly revealed, “I had to leave Limp Bizkit in 2015 because I felt so horrible. A few months later, I realized I had to change everything because I had really bad liver disease.” Fortunately, he underwent a life-saving liver transplant that was “a perfect match,” which allowed him to successfully rejoin the band in 2018.
The Legacy Lives On
Throughout their career, the three-time Grammy-nominated band acknowledged that Rivers played a crucial role in bringing heavy music into the mainstream during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Remarkably, in August 2025, just months before his passing, Rivers performed with Limp Bizkit at the prestigious Reading Festival. Meanwhile, the band has announced that the Gringo Papi Tour will commence on November 29, 2025.
In closing their emotional tribute, the band declared, “He was a one-of-a-kind person. A true legend among legends. And his spirit will live on forever in every groove, every stage, and every memory we shared together.”
