Rap/nu metal stars Limp Bizkit has announced that Sam Rivers, the bassist who co-founded the band with vocalist Fred Durst, has passed away at the age of 48. A message from the band reads as follows: "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. "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. — Fred, Wes, John & DJ Lethal" Sam Rivers met Fred Durst in the early nineties while working at a mall and the two decided to jam together. They eventually added drummer John Otto, erroneously thought to be a cousin of Rivers, to the fold before guitarist Wes Borland joined. Rivers performed on every Limp Bizkit release, including guitar on the "Results May Vary" album on select tracks. He suffered from health problems over the years, at one point undergoing a liver transplant.
