Wes Borland Opens Up On Sam Rivers’ Death: “We Lost A Piece Of Our DNA,” Says Limp Bizkit Guitarist

Wes Borland has reflected on the passing of bassist Sam Rivers almost six months after his death, saying Limp Bizkit feel as though they have “lost a piece of our DNA”.

The news was first confirmed last October when it was announced that Rivers had died aged 48. He was a founding member of Limp Bizkit, which he helped establish in 1994. In the days that followed, frontman Fred Durst shared a video tribute, calling him “such a gifted, unbelievably sweet and wonderful person”.

The band also released a statement honouring him, saying: “He was a once in a lifetime kind of human. A true legend of legends. And his spirit will live forever in every groove, every stage, every memory,” adding, “We love you, Sam. We’ll carry you with us, always. Rest easy, brother. Your music never ends.”

Limp Bizkit paid tribute again during their first performance after his passing the following month, with Ecca Vandal’s Richie Buxton stepping in as touring bassist. Since then, they have rarely spoken in detail about the loss publicly.

In a new interview with Consequence, guitarist Wes Borland said he still feels “very emotional” about it and admitted he struggles to discuss it at length.

“He was like family,” he explained. “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.”

He continued: “He can’t ever be replaced. We’re so lucky for Richie… he’s such a great player, and he’s just a wonderful guy, and we’re gonna hold onto him for as long as we can.

“[But] Sam is not a replaceable person. He was the heartbeat. It’s 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.”

Limp Bizkit are set to play a range of festival dates across Europe this summer, and recently headlined Download Festival for the first time, 23 years after their original booking. Upcoming appearances also include festivals such as Louder Than Life and Aftershock Festival. Tickets for their upcoming shows are currently available.

Their most recent release arrived last September, when they dropped the standalone single ‘Making Love To Morgan Wallen’, marking their first new music since their 2021 album ‘Still Sucks’.