Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland recently opened up about the tragic passing of the band’s founding bassist, Sam Rivers. During a new conversation with Heavy Consequence, the musician reflected on the profound personal and musical loss following his longtime bandmate’s death last year.
Born in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1977, Sam Rivers helped form the original foundation of Limp Bizkit in 1994, standing alongside frontman Fred Durst and drummer John Otto. The group’s classic lineup was later cemented when Wes Borland and DJ Lethal officially joined the ranks in 1996.
Speaking to Heavy Consequence, Borland described the massive void left behind by his friend:
“He was like family. I’m gonna try not to cry. It’s just like we lost a piece of our DNA. It’s too hard to talk about right now in depth.”
The band recruited Richie Buxton to take over live bass duties. While Borland was quick to praise their current touring bassist, he made it clear that the band’s original low-end anchor could never truly be swapped out.
“He can’t ever be replaced. I mean, we’re so lucky for Richie [Buxton], who’s playing with us right now. He’s such a great player, and he’s just a wonderful guy, and we’re gonna hold onto him for as long as we can, ’cause he also plays in a band with his wife, Ecca Vandal, and they’re doing really great right now, and their career’s kind of blowing up. But we’re just gonna keep Richie for as long as we can and keep moving forward.”
Highlighting his late bandmate’s irreplaceable impact on both the group’s signature sound and their internal chemistry, Borland added:
“Sam is not a replaceable person. He was the heartbeat. It’s crazy talking about… very emotional talking about it. I think that last year when it happened, we were all kind of in shock, and now we’re all grieving.”
Sam Rivers passed away on October 18, 2025. The band confirmed his death via Instagram, sharing a deeply emotional tribute to their “heartbeat.” While an official cause of death has not been released to the public, a subsequent police report provided some insight into his untimely passing.
“Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat,” the band wrote at the time.
“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,” they 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, signed by Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland and turntablist DJ Lethal.
After stepping away from the band in 2015 Rivers underwent a successful liver transplant and returned to the group in 2018.
“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.”
His openness about his health struggles, shared in Raising Hell (Backstage Tales From The Lives Of Metal Legends), revealed a man who fought hard to reclaim his life and music.
Doctors warned Rivers that failure to stop drinking would be fatal. “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.’”
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.
Earlier in June, Limp Bizkit have publicly shared new emotional video tribute which 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.
