JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Sam Rivers, the bass player for the nu-metal band and Jacksonville-born Limp Bizkit, died on Saturday, the band announced in a post on social media. Rivers was 48.
Rivers, like the bulk of his bandmates, grew up in Jacksonville. He went to Bishop Kenny High School.
Recommended Videos
“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 wrote in a post on Instagram.
“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.“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 was signed by band members Fred Durst, Wes Borland, John Otto and DJ Lethal.
Limp Bizkit got its start in Jacksonville in the early 1990s and went on to become one of the world’s most popular nu-metal bands. Lead singer Durst and Rivers met in Jacksonville and initially started a band that was called, Malachi Sage. That group was short lived. They wound up trying again, later adding drummer Otto. Guitarist Borland was the next to join followed by DJ Lethal.
Its first major album, “Three Dollar Bill, Yall,” released in 1997, brought the band into the mainstream. It included numerous references to Jacksonville institutions like the iconic Milk Bar and the Mathews Bridge.
But it wasn’t until the 1999 release of “Significant Other” that Limp Bizkit went into the stratosphere. Released on June 22, 1999, Significant Other included the iconic song, “Nookie,” which helped launch lead singer Durst and the band into international fame. That album went top 10 in six countries and sold more than 7 million copies.
Its 2000 follow-up, “Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water,” also went viral, going platinum six times and reached No. 1 status in eight countries.