Limp Bizkit Share Heartfelt Video Tribute To Late Bassist Sam Rivers

Nü-metal veterans Limp Bizkit have shared a video tribute honoring their late bassist and vocalist Sam Rivers, who passed away on October 18th, 2025, at the age of 48. A founding member of the band, Rivers played a pivotal role in shaping Limp Bizkit’s sound through his distinctive bass work on many of the group's best-known songs. While the exact cause of his death was never publicly disclosed, details contained in a police report provided some insight into the circumstances surrounding his passing.

The newly released tribute, set to Limp Bizkit’s 2003 song “Drown”, appears to be the same video package the band first unveiled when they returned to the stage on November 29th, 2025, at Estadio Fray Nano in Mexico City, Mexico. That performance marked the band’s first show following Rivers’ death and also introduced his live replacement, Ecca Vandal bassist Richie “Kid Not” Buxton.

In the aftermath of Rivers’ passing, tributes poured in from across the music world, with fellow musicians and longtime peers celebrating both his talent and character. Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst underscored Rivers’ immense impact in the tribute video, stating, “What he’s left us behind is priceless. He was such a special person.”

When announcing his death last year, Limp Bizkit collectively described Rivers as “The pulse beneath every song, the calm in the chaos, the soul in the sound.”

Among those reflecting on Rivers’ legacy was Korn bassist Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu, who spoke about his longtime friendship with the musician during an appearance on the Shady Characters podcast:

“I’m friends with all the guys in Limp Bizkit. So you know, it hurt my heart, man. I heard about that because I’m friends with Sam and all those guys.

We kicked it all the time. I used to go out — my son showed me — he’s like, ‘Dad, check this out’ — And it’s like [a video in which] I’m playing a Limp Bizkit bassline on tour with them and then he comes up, Sam comes up, and he like looks at me and I’m like, ‘Oh.’ And I give [the bass] to him. It’s like a gag we did every single night. ‘Cause you’re in a different city. It wasn’t like today, you do it one night and It’s all over the internet.

So we were doing that and I’m like listening to it and I told my son, ‘That’s a dope bass player.’ Look how much better he’s playing that than me. The way that he moves his fingers and the way that he finesses the strings. He’s sick.

So I even knew that, because the first time I went down to Jacksonville, I picked up John Otto [Limp Bizkit drummer] and Sam, and I went back to their house and John Otto had a drum kit in there and Sam had his bass stuff.

I don’t know these kids. And they’re like, ‘Hey, you want to jam with John Otto?’ And I’m like, ‘I’ma show these kids what’s up right now.’ You know, because we were playing somewhere in town, and this is in the beginning of Korn — it was like a little club or something like that. So, I get on, do my my clickity clackity, you know. And I go, ‘You play man.’ You know, I already killed it in my head. He plays. he gets done. I’m like, ‘I suck man. You are dope. You’re so much better than me.’ I told him straight out. I remember that. I was embarrassed. I’m like, ‘You rip.’ That’s one of my two favorite rhythm sections.”

Fieldy’s recollections highlighted not only Rivers’ technical ability as a bassist, but also the respect he earned from fellow musicians throughout the nü-metal community.