Bassist Sam Rivers, a founding member of Limp Bizkit, has died. He was 48.

News of Rivers' death was shared by the band's official Instagram account, which noted he died on Oct. 18. A cause of death was not disclosed.

The statement signed by Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst, Wes Borland, John Otto and DJ Lethal remembered Rivers as "our brother," "our bandmate" and "our heartbeat."

"Sam Rivers wasn't just our bass player − he was pure magic," the bandmates wrote.

"The pulse beneath every song, the calm in the chaos, the soul in the sound. From the first note we ever played together, Sam brought a light and a rhythm that could never be replaced. His talent was effortless, his presence unforgettable, his heart enormous."

Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Rivers formed Limp Bizkit with Durst in 1994. The influential nu metal band made its debut in 1997 with studio album "Three Dollar Bill, Y'all."

In August, Limp Bizkit performed at the Reading Festival in England for a show that Rivers described as "such a beautiful experience." In his final Instagram post on Oct. 17, Rivers celebrated the anniversary of the band's third album, "Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water," released in 2000.

"Nothing but love," he wrote.

In 2020, Rivers revealed in the book "Raising Hell: Backstage Tales From the Lives of Metal Legends" that he left Limp Bizkit for several years, from 2015 to 2018, after he "got liver disease from excessive drinking," according to Loudwire.

"I had to leave Limp Bizkit in 2015 because I felt so horrible, and a few months after that I realized I had to change everything because I had really bad liver disease," Rivers reportedly wrote in the book.

"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."

The statement from Limp Bizkit announcing Rivers' death remembered him as a "once-in-a-lifetime kind of human" and a "true legend of legends" whose "spirit will live forever in every groove, every stage, every memory." The group added, "We love you, Sam. We'll carry you with us, always. Rest easy, brother. Your music never ends."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Limp Bizkit shares death of bassist Sam Rivers, 48, in emotional post

Reporting by Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect