WASHINGTON: Limp Bizkit founding bassist Sam Rivers has died at age 48, the band announced on Saturday.
“Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat,“ read a statement on Instagram from band members Fred Durst, Wes Borland, John Otto and DJ Lethal.
The statement did not specify a cause of death.
“Sam Rivers wasn’t just our bass player -- he was pure magic,“ the band members wrote.
They described Rivers as bringing “a light and a rhythm that could never be replaced” from their first note together.
Limp Bizkit was formed by Rivers and Durst in 1994, releasing their debut album “Three Dollar Bill, Y’all” in 1997.
Their third album “Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water” debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart in 2000.
The album sold more than one million copies in its first week of release.
Rivers left the band in 2015 due to liver disease from excessive drinking, according to a book by rock writer Jon Wiederhorn.
He rejoined Limp Bizkit in 2018 and appeared on their 2021 album “Still Sucks.”
Band members called Rivers a “true legend of legends” in their tribute.
“We love you, Sam. We’ll carry you with us, always,“ they wrote.
“Rest easy, brother. Your music never ends.”
DJ Lethal commented that “we are in shock” and requested respect for the family’s privacy. – AFP
