More information has now emerged surrounding the passing of Limp Bizkit bassist Sam Rivers.
The metal group announced on Saturday that the bassist had died at age 48 in an emotional tribute. A cause of death has yet to be revealed.
However, new information surrounding Rivers’s health and his passing have now emerged, with a spokesman for the St Johns County, Florida Fire Rescue telling TMZ that they responded to a call for a ‘nonresponsive person in cardiac arrest’ on Saturday.
Additionally, a representative for the St Johns County Sheriff told the publication that ‘deputies responded to an attended death at that address.’
An attended death is ‘in which the decedent has been a patient under medical care for a serious or life-threatening illness that will likely lead to death in a relatively short period of time (days or months, but not years),’ according to the American Institute of Crime Scene Integrity.
While what caused his passing remains unknown, the musician had grappled with his health. He was been candid about how his ‘excessive drinking’ led to a liver disease diagnosis, and in 2017 he underwent a liver transplant.
More details have come to light surrounding the tragic death of Limp Bizkit bassist Sam Rivers at age 48 (seen in 2023)
Rivers had been one of the original founding members of Limp Bizkit – which was formed back in 1994.
In an emotional statement announcing Rivers’s death, his bandmates Fred Durst, John Otto, Wes Borland and DJ Lethal wrote: ‘In Loving Memory of Our Brother, Sam Rivers. 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.
‘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.’
The group continued: ‘We shared so many moments — wild ones, quiet ones, beautiful ones — and every one of them meant more because Sam was there.’
They called Rivers ‘a once-in-a-lifetime kind of human’ as well as ‘a true legend of legends.’
They concluded their statement: ‘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. — Fred, Wes, John & DJ Lethal.’
Rivers first met the lead vocalist of the band Durst in the 1990s while working at Chick-fil-A, going on to form Limp Bizkit in 1994 alongside drummer Otto.
Two years later, guitarist Borland and turntablist DJ Lethal also joined the group and their debut album – Three Dollar Bill, Y’all – was released in 1997 and included singles such as Counterfeit.
The band found further success and recognition with second album Significant Other (1999) followed by Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water (2000).
Some of the biggest tracks that the group released over the years include Break Stuff, My Way and Behind Blue Eyes.
The metal group announced on Saturday that the bassist has passed away earlier in the day, with an emotional tribute. A cause of death is yet to be revealed (L-R Wes Borland, DJ Lethal (born Leor Dimant), Fred Durst, John Otto, and Sam in 1997)
The band went on hiatus in 2006, but reunited just three years later in 2009.
Limp Bizkit has received three Grammy nominations such as Best Rock Album in 2000 for Significant Other and won a series of other awards, including a Billboard Music Award for Top Modern Rock Artist.
Rivers departed from the band in 2015, before rejoining in 2018, which he later revealed was due to his battle with liver disease.
The late musician made the revelation in a book from rock writer Jon Wiederhorn titled Raising Hell (Backstage Tales From The Lives Of Metal Legends) in 2020, per Loudwire.
He shared: ‘I got liver disease from excessive drinking. I had to leave Limp Bizkit in 2015 because I felt so horrible, and a few months after that I realized I had to change everything because I had really bad liver disease.’
Rivers first met the lead vocalist of the band Durst in the 90s while working at Chick-fil-A, going on to form Limp Bizkit in 1994 alongside drummer Otto, with guitarist Borland and turntablist DJ Lethal also joining two years later (seen in 2000)
Rivers departed from the band in 2015, before rejoining in 2018, which he later revealed was due to his battle with liver disease (seen in 2009)
Rivers also stated that he continued to focus on his health and eventually underwent a liver transplant.
‘I quit drinking and did everything the doctors told me. I got treatment for the alcohol and got a liver transplant, which was a perfect match.’
He said he received the diagnosis back in 2011 and ‘got clean for about nine or ten months and went on tour.’
However due to a home life that was far from ‘great,’ he fell back into drinking again and would later get a warning from medical professionals.
‘It got so bad I had to go to UCLA Hospital and the doctor said, “If you don’t stop, you’re going to die. And right now, you’re looking like you need a new liver.”‘
Rivers added: ‘I fought liver disease for a couple years and it won. I had to get a liver transplant in 2017.’
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