Fred Durst pays homage to Sam Rivers and recalls the history of Limp Bizkit
Following the passing of the bassist and founder of Limp Bizkit Sam Riverswho passed away last October 18th at the age of 48 for unknown causes, the frontman of the American band Fred Durst he shared on social media a long video in his honor.
To pay homage to the late musician, with whom he formed the “Break stuff” group at the beginning of the Nineties, Durst chose to make an eight-minute film to share on Instagram. In the clip, the leader of Limp Bizkit is seen pay homage to Sam Rivers describing him as a “gifted, incredibly sweet and wonderful” person, before tell the story of their first meeting.
“I had entered this little bar/pub where a band played, in Jax Beach, it was called Pier 7“, Durst’s story begins: “And there was Samon stage with his band, rocking on bass. And I thought, ‘Oh my God, this guy is incredible.’ In my mind, we had to start with the rhythm section: bass and drums. At that moment I didn’t know who I would meet first to realize this idea. I didn’t know if it was going to be the drummer or the bass player. Apparently, it was the bass player. I saw Sam play and I was blown away. He also played a five-string bass, and I had never seen anyone use one. He was smooth, good, stood out from everything, and I heard nothing but Sam. Everything else disappeared in front of his talent.”
The story continues: “I walked up to him after the show and said, ‘Hey, man, you’re amazing. I have this idea for a band that I want to put together.’ And I told him pretty much what I had in mind. And he looked at me and said, ‘Cool. I’m in. Let’s do it!’ And I was like, ‘Oh my God. Okay, let’s do it.’ From there everything started to take shape. I had found a bass player.”
In the video, Durst then goes on to narrate that It was Sam Rivers who introduced him to drummer John Ottowith which Limp Bizkit actually came to life. The frontman then went on to talk about how the bassist’s love of grunge bands like Mother Love Bone, Alice In Chains and Stone Temple Pilots directly influenced the sound he brought to the band on “Rollin’.” In the clip, Fred Durst is heard explaining: “He had this ability to bring out a wonderful sadness from below that I had never heard,” Durst says: “I mean, he played chords. He was just talented. I can’t even explain it.” And he concludes:
“What he left us is priceless. He was a truly extraordinary person. And when I think back to how I met him and how this all came together, Sam was the first one, the first one who stepped in and helped make this dream real. I’m endlessly grateful, and I miss him terribly now. All the love and support I’ve seen online is overwhelming. He truly made an impact on the world.”
At the same time as the sad news of Sam Rivers’ passing, an official cause of death was not disclosed, although DJ Lethal published an image of the bassist with the caption “FuckCancer”, suggesting that he may have passed away due to cancer.
After a hiatus in 2006 and a reunion in 2009, Limp Bizkit continued to tour and release albums intermittently over the next few years, including 2011’s “Gold Cobra” and the last “Still sucks” of 2021, although Rivers left the band in 2015, apparently following a diagnosis of degenerative disc disease. However, Rivers revealed in 2020 that his departure from the band was due to liver disease caused by excessive alcohol consumption. Sam Rivers’ last performance with Limp Bizkit was at the Leeds Festivalin England, on 24 August 2025.
