Sam Rivers' death update: Limp Bizkit bassist suffered cardiac arrest at home
It has been reported that St. Johns County, Florida Fire Rescue responded to a call for a "nonresponsive person in cardiac arrest" for Limp Bizkit bassist Sam Rivers on October 18
Limp Bizkit bassist Sam Rivers died at home while receiving medical care, it has been claimed.
The 48-year-old musician passed away on Saturday, October 18, and while a cause of death is still unknown, it has been reported that Rivers - who left the nu metal band for a few years due to health reasons in 2015 - went into cardiac arrest. His death was announced by the band on their official Instagram page.
According to TMZ, a spokesperson for the St. Johns County, Florida Fire Rescue confirmed that they responded to a call for a "nonresponsive person in cardiac arrest."
"Deputies responded to an attended death at that address," they told the publication.
An attended death is one that occurs under medical supervision or with the presence of another person, and a doctor-patient relationship existed prior to the death.
Breaking the news to fans last week, Limp Bizkit shared a photo of Rivers onstage and wrote alongside it, "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. We shared so many moments — wild ones, quiet ones, beautiful ones — and every one of them meant more because Sam was there," the band continued.
"He was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of human. A true legend of legends," they added. "And his spirit will live forever in every groove, every stage, every memory."
The band concluded, "We love you, Sam. We’ll carry you with us, always. Rest easy, brother. Your music never ends. — Fred, Wes, John & DJ Lethal."
Rivers' passing comes just a month before Limp Bizkit are set to hit the road for their Gringo Papi South America tour.
During his adolescence, Rivers played with the band's drummer, John Otto, but he didn't meet Durst until the early 1990s when the two worked at the same Chick-fil-A restaurant.
In 1994, the three became the original members of Limp Bizkit. It wasn't until two years later that they added guitarist Wes Borland and DJ Lethal to their group.
Over the next 20 years, the group became a worldwide phenomenon, dropping hit singles like Break Stuff, Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle), and My Way.
In 2015, Sam briefly left the group due to his struggles with a liver disease that had developed from years of excessive drinking.