More details are surfaced regarding the death of Limp Bizkit bassist Sam Rivers. Meanwhile, the band has vowed to carry on with its upcoming tour.
TMZ has reported that authorities in St. Johns County, Florida, responded to a call this past Saturday, October 18th, for a “nonresponsive person in cardiac arrest.” The St. Johns County Sheriff’s office has not yet determined a cause of death, but deputies noted that their response was part of an “attended death” call, meaning that the diseased individual had been battling a serious or life-threatening illness with death as an expected outcome.
The new details shed light on the state of Rivers health when he passed. The 48-year-old bassist had recently been seen wearing a “Fuck Cancer” shirt while performing onstage, leading fans to speculate that he had been battling the disease. Limp Bizkit bandmate DJ Lethal also posted a photo of Rivers performing in the T-shirt with the hashtag #fuckcancer following Rivers’ passing.
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Several years ago, Rivers underwent a liver transplant after suffering from liver disease due to excessive drinking. In Jon Wiederhorn’s 2020 book Raising Hell (Backstage Tales From the Lives of Metal Legends), Rivers recounted, “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.’ I fought liver disease for a couple years and it won. I had to get a liver transplant in 2017.”
As for Limp Bizkit, the band appears to be carrying on with its upcoming concert dates — a Latin American run with Yungblud, 311, and more that kicks off November 29th at the Explanada del Estadio Banorte in Mexico City. The promoter of that show broke the news in a statement on Monday (via The PRP), revealing that “Limp Bizkit has decided to continue with its performance on November 29th,” implying that the nu-metal vets will complete the seven-show jaunt as planned.
Limp Bizkit announced the death of Rivers on October 18th. Frontman Fred Durst later posted an emotional tribute video, stating, “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.’”