Sam Rivers death: Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst cries in emotional tribute to bandmate
Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst has shared a moving tribute to the band’s longtime bassist, Sam Rivers, following his sudden passing on Saturday at the age of 48.
The nu-metal group confirmed Rivers’ death, describing him as the “pulse beneath every song, the calm in the chaos, the soul in the sound”.
Now, Durst has shared a lengthy video honouring his bandmate on his own social media, reflecting on their friendship and the pivotal moment he convinced Rivers to join the band.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“Sam Rivers, the legend, truly. Such a gifted, unbelievably sweet and wonderful person,” he began.
“You know, how I met Sam was I had put a couple iterations of an idea of a band I was trying to make happen in Jacksonville, Florida. I had this idea and vision for this particular type of style and sound, and I just couldn’t get it together right. So I decided ‘I’m gonna go out and get the right kinds of players to do this and bring this thing together’.”
Durst described the moment he saw Rivers playing with another band at a small bar in Jacksonville Beach.
“I saw Sam play and I was blown away...he was so smooth and good and he stood out and I could hear nothing else but Sam, everything disappeared besides his gift,” he said.
“I went up to him after the show and said, ‘You’re unbelievable’.”
He asked Rivers then and there to join the band, who was only 18 at the time, to which the bassist agreed to on the spot.
“It’s so tragic that he is not here right now, and I’ve gone through gallons and gallons of tears since yesterday,” Durst continued.
“I’m thinking, oh my god, Sam is a legend, he did it, he lived it.
“We rocked stadiums together, we’ve been around the world together, shared so many moments together, and I know that wherever Sam is right now, he’s smiling and feeling like ‘man, I did it’...and man did he do it. What he has left us behind is priceless.”
Tears streaming down his face, Durst said he was “very fortunate” to have Rivers in his life.
“I miss him terribly already...I just love him so much.”
Rivers co-founded Limp Bizkit in 1994 and helped propel the band to global fame during the early-2000s nu-metal explosion, performing on hit albums including Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavoured Water (2000) and Results May Vary (2003).
He briefly departed the group in 2015 while battling liver disease linked to alcohol abuse, later revealing he had undergone a successful liver transplant before rejoining the band in 2018.
