Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland has admitted the nu metal legends felt like a “piece of our DNA” died when bassist Sam Rivers passed away.
The musician died in October 2025 at 48 following a cardiac arrest, and his bandmate said moving on has been tough, as Sam was the “heartbeat” of the band.
He said they’re lucky to have Ecca Vandal’s Richie Buxton out on the road with them, though they’re not sure how long they’ll be able to keep him as the band’s profile continues to rise.
He told Heavy Consequence: “[Sam] 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.”
Wes went on: “[Sam] 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 on to 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.”
Wes admitted the band – also including Fred Durst, John Otto and DJ Lethal – are still not over the “shock” of losing their dear friend.
He 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.”
The band confirmed his passing in a statement posted to Instagram, calling him “our brother, our bandmate, our heartbeat.”
Frontman Fred paid a touching tribute to his beloved bandmate following the devastating news, admitting he’d “been through gallons and gallons of tears”.
He concluded that the “overwhelming support and love” from fans around the world shows the “impact” he had.
He added: “I was very, very fortunate to have him in my life, and I’m so incredibly grateful to have shared part of this journey with Sam Rivers, a huge part of my journey. I’m super, super grateful and I miss him terribly already. All the support and love I’ve seen out there online is overwhelming, he really did have an impact on the world. His music and his gift is the one that’s going to keep on giving. I just love him so much.”
The award-winning musician left Limp Bizkit for some years in 2015, due to liver disease from “excessive drinking”.
He told author Jon Wiederhorn for the book Raising Hell: “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.”