Limp Bizkit founding bassist Sam Rivers dies at 48

Sam Rivers, the founding bassist of the rock rap group Limp Bizkit, died Saturday at age 48, the band announced on its Instagram account. The statement gave no cause of death. Rivers' bandmates described him as their "heartbeat" and asked fans to respect the family's privacy.

"Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat," the band wrote, adding that "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." In a comment on the post, DJ Lethal urged fans to "please respect the family's privacy" and to "give Sam his flowers and play Sam Rivers basslines all day."

Rivers was a founding member of Limp Bizkit, formed in the mid 1990s with vocalist Fred Durst and drummer John Otto. The lineup expanded to include guitarist Wes Borland and DJ Lethal, and the band became one of the most prominent acts of the late 1990s nu metal movement. Rivers performed on all six of the group's studio albums, four of which achieved platinum or multi-platinum certification, and he contributed guitar work to the band's 2003 album Results May Vary.

Band members and longtime collaborators traced Rivers' musical roots to...