Nu-metal icons Limp Bizkit have publicly shared their emotional video tribute honoring their fallen bassist and vocalist Sam Rivers. The co-founding musician passed away on October 18, 2025, at the age of 48. While an official cause of death has not been released to the public, a subsequent police report provided some insight into his untimely passing.
The newly released video package is soundtracked by the band’s 2003 song “Drown“. The visual is the same tribute that Limp Bizkit originally debuted on screens last fall when returning to the stage for the first time following Rivers‘ death. That performance took place on November 29, 2025, at the Estadio Fray Nano in Mexico City, Mexico, and also marked the live debut of Rivers‘ onstage successor, Ecca Vandal bassist Richie “Kid Not” Buxton.
Following the news of his passing, tributes poured in from across the globe as fellow musicians and peers publicly mourned the technically gifted player and praised his foundational bass lines. Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst reflected on the immense impact of his longtime bandmate in his own tribute.
“What he’s left us behind is priceless. He was such a special person. And Sam was a very private person too. So the few people that were able to be close with him and around him know what I’m saying to be true. He was a very, very special, genuine person,” Durst stated at the time.
The band announced Rivers’ passing on October 18, in a joint statement.
“Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat,” the band wrote on Instagram.
“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 continued. “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,” Limp Bizkit continued. “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 concluded.
