Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst’s First Comments on Sam Rivers Death

Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst has delivered a touching and emotional tribute after the death of co-founding bassist Sam Rivers over the weekend at the age of 48.

In a lengthy clip shared to Durst’s Instagram account, the vocalist delivered a tribute to the late musician that gave some background into how he and Rivers first connected musically, explored the depths of their personal and professional friendship and expressed the amount of sorrow he’s feeling after the passing of Rivers.

What Did Fred Durst Say About Sam Rivers as a Musician?

The platitudes were plentiful throughout Durst’s conversation, starting right at the top of his reflection on the musician. “Sam Rivers, legend, truly. He’s like a gifted, unbelievably sweet, wonderful person,” shared Durst.

A good portion of the early part of the video explored how Durst first met Rivers while seeking out musicians who might meet the musical vision he had for a band he wanted to do. Rivers was the first piece of what would eventually become Limp Bizkit after Durst had seen him playing at a local Jacksonville bar with another band.

“I had this particular idea for this style and sound and I just couldn’t get it together right. So I decided I’m going to go out and find the right players to do this and bring this thing together,” recalled Durst.

“In my mind you had to start with the rhythm section, the bass and the drums. I didn’t know who I was gonna meet first to put this idea together,” he shared. “I saw Sam play and I was blown away. He was playing a five-string bass too and I’d never seen anyone using a five-string bass. He was so smooth and good and he stood out and I could hear nothing else but Sam. Everything else disappeared besides his gift.”

After speaking to Rivers after the show and sharing his musical idea, Durst seemed taken aback by the fact that the young bassist was on board with his pitch. “He looked at me and says, ‘Killer, I’m in. Let’s do it,'” recalled the singer.

Eventually Rivers also pulled in his cousin, drummer John Otto, who was a jazz drummer and they started playing together as a trio.

“Sam had this thing where anything I could spit out of my mouth … ‘Try this, try this or do this or this,’ Sam could do it and do it a thousand times better than I could hear it in my head,” recalled Durst.

What Did Fred Durst Say About Sam Rivers on a Personal Note?

Durst transitioned his thoughts away from Rivers as a player and eventually speaking to more about who the bassist was and the depth of their friendship. He revealed that they shared a mutual love of ’90s grunge, with Mother Love Bone, Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots among their favorite bands.

At one point, he also shared that the bassist was also someone who mostly kept to himself: “He was a very private person as well so the few people that were able to be close with him know what I’m saying to be true.”

But the most emotional part of the discussion comes toward the end when Durst speaks about their mutual journey.

“It’s so tragic that he’s not here right now and I’ve gone through gallons and gallons of tears since yesterday and I’m thinking, ‘Sam’s a legend, you know.’ He did it. He lived it,” said Durst. “With Limp Bizkit, it was such a journey and such a massive roller coaster and here we are having this incredible moment and it’s going so beautifully smooth and Sam was just really, really happy about it. We rocked stadiums together, been around the world together and spent so many moments together and I know that wherever Sam is right now, he’s smiling and being like, ‘Man I did it.’ And man did he do it.”

“I just knew that I was very, very, very fortunate to have him in my life and I’m so grateful, incredibly grateful to have shared part of this journey with Sam Rivers,” says the singer.

Durst’s full testimonial about Sam Rivers can be viewed below.

A History of Sam Rivers

Born on Sept. 2, 1977, Rivers grew up in the Jacksonville, Florida area. It was in Jacksonville that he first met Fred Durst and the pair first collaborated musically in the band Malachi Sage.

Once the pair moved on to form Limp Bizkit, Rivers held down the bass spot. But he also showed his versatility on guitar when he played both instruments on the band’s Results May Vary album after Wes Borland’s exit.

Rivers served multiple stints in Limp Bizkit, exiting at one point after dealing with liver disease. He eventually returned to the band after receiving a liver transplant. The musician appeared on all six of the band’s studio albums.

READ MORE: Limp Bizkit Albums Ranked

Outside of the band, Rivers also produced several local Jacksonville bands including work with Burn Season, The Embrance, Indorphine and Sleepkillers. He’s also previous appeared on songs with Marilyn Manson (“Redeemer”), David Draiman (“Forsaken”) and Black Light Burns (“I Have a Need”).