LIMP BIZKIT bassist Sam Rivers has died at the age of 48.
On Saturday, October 18, the Fred Durst-fronted outfit shared a post on Instagram announcing that Rivers had passed away earlier in the day. No cause of death was revealed.
"Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat," the band wrote in the caption, alongside a photo of Rivers performing onstage.
"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.
"We shared so many moments — wild ones, quiet ones, beautiful ones — and every one of them meant more because Sam was there," LIMP BIZKIT continued. "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."
"We love you, Sam. We'll carry you with us, always. Rest easy, brother. Your music never ends," the post concluded, signed by Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland and turntablist DJ Lethal.
In a comment underneath the post, Lethal asked the LIMP BIZKIT fans to respect Rivers's family's privacy.
"Give Sam his flowers and play Sam Rivers basslines all day!" the DJ wrote. "We are in shock. Rest in power my brother! You will live on through your music and the lives you helped save with your music, charity work and friendships. We are heartbroken. Enjoy every millisecond of life. It's not guaranteed."
A founding member of LIMP BIZKIT, Rivers left the band in 2015 for health reasons that he later revealed were liver ailments due to alcohol abuse.
"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 revealed in Jon Wiederhorn's book "Raising Hell (Backstage Tales From The Lives Of Metal Legends)". "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."
Rivers recalled 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.'"
Sam rejoined LIMP BIZKIT in 2018 and remained in the group until his death.
Rivers founded LIMP BIZKIT with Durst and Otto in Jacksonville, Florida in 1994.
(Source: www.blabbermouth.net)