Fred Durst makes emotional tribute to late Limp Bizkit bassist Sam Rivers
Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst has shared a video with fans online to mourn his late bandmate, Sam Rivers, who has passed away at the age of 48.
On October 19th, the nu-metal band broke the news of Rivers’ passing in a social media post, which began, “Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat. 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 formed in 1994 in Jacksonville; Rivers joined the band at singer Fred Durst’s request, playing alongside drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, and turntablist DJ Lethal.
Now, Durst has shared his own tribute to the musician. In a candid video, Durst addresses the camera, beginning, “Sam Rivers, the legend. Such a gifted and wonderful person… There Sam was on the stage with his band, killing it on the bass. and I went, ‘Oh my gosh, this guy’s amazing.’ In my mind, you had to start with the rhythm section, the bass and the drums. … I saw Sam play, and I was blown away.”
Earnestly, he continued, “I went up to Sam after the show, and I sad, ‘Hey man, you’re unbelievable, and I got this idea for a band I wanna do, and I kinda threw it out there, and I told him what I wanted it to be, and he looked at me, and says, ‘Killer, I’m in. Let’s do it!’… That’s kinda how things started to come together.”
Finishing his trip down memory lane, Durst grieved the early death of his friend. He added, “It’s so tragic that he’s not here right now, and I’ve gone through gallons and gallons of tears since yesterday, and I’m thinking, ‘Sam’s a legend.’ Here we are just having an incredible moment, and it’s going so beautifully smooth, and Sam was just really, really happy about it. … What he’s left us behind is priceless.”
Though Durst references many good times shared between the pair, it was not all smooth sailing. Rivers left Limp Bizkit in 2015 for several years as a result of liver disease from “excessive drinking”, he shared with the author Jon Wiederhorn for his book, Raising Hell. No cause of death has been revealed.
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