Sam Rivers , bassist and founding member of the metal band Limp Bizkit , died on Saturday, the band announced in a social media post. No cause of death was stated, although he had a history of liver disease; he was 48.

“Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat,” the band wrote. “Sam Rivers wasn’t just our bass player — he was pure magic. The pulse beneath every song, the calm in the chaos, the soul in the sound.”

Born in Jacksonville, Fla. In 1977, Rivers and first began playing music in middle school, playing tuba because his friend, future Limp Bizkit drummer John Otto, played jazz drums. While Rivers and Otto are often said to be cousins, the pair had initially thought they were related but turned out not to be.

Rivers later switched to bass and guitar, and became

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