Sam Rivers, bassist and founding member of the metal band Limp Bizkit recently passed away. In the wake of the tragic passing of Sam Rivers, Limp Bizkit’s longtime bassist, DJ Lethal has spoken out on social media.
DJ Lethal opens up on Sam Rivers
After facing criticism for how he chose to cope publicly, DJ Lethal has now addressed the matter. He shared a passionate message defending his right to grieve in his own way, emphasizing that staying busy, particularly by building his music studio, has been a form of therapy during this difficult time.
Lethal expressed frustration toward those who questioned his approach, writing that everyone deals with trauma differently and that he refuses to be told how to live his life.
He wrote, “Anyone one scrutinizing what I post can go eat a d*ck, everybody deals with trauma in their own way. Kindy unfollow and don’t tell me how to live my life. F**k you very much. And To those who are here to support and send love. I appreciate you and love you. If I sit and be sad all f**kin day that’s not going to help anything. I’m all out of “sad”. Some dude had the nerve to say that a post of me staying busy building my music studio to keep my mind off of tragedy and heartbreak to turn it into something that helps me cope, was not up to his standards of being human. SMH respectfully DJ MF lethal !”
In the past, DJ Lethal also shared the last message he received from Rivers. Rivers began his music journey in middle school, beginning with the tuba as his friend, future Limp Bizkit drummer John Otto, played jazz drums. While Rivers and Otto are often said to be cousins, the duo thought they were related but later found out they were not.
Rivers later switched to bass and guitar, and became friends with future Limp Bizkit singer and rapper Fred Durst. They soon regrouped with Otto to form Limp Bizkit in 1994, uniting with madcap guitarist Wes Borland and, later, former House of Pain member DJ Lethal.
The band was aligned with the fast-rising “nu-metal” movement and, following a show in Los Angeles opening for Korn, were signed by Flip Records, whose founder, Jordan Schur, later struck a distribution deal with Interscope for the band’s debut album.
Limp Bizkit went on hiatus in 2006 and Rivers worked as a producer with Jacksonville bands Burn Season and the Embraced, a role he would continue after the band reunited in 2009. Limp Bizkit continued to tour and release albums sporadically over the following years, although Rivers left in 2015 for health reasons that he later revealed were liver ailments due to alcohol abuse.
