Fred Durst has paid tribute to Limp Bizkit bassist Sam Rivers, whose death at the age of 48 was announced over the weekend.
In an eight-minute video published on Instagram, Durst calls West a "gifted, unbelievably sweet and wonderful person" before going on to relate the story of their first encounter.
"I'd gone into this little tiny bar/pub where this band was playing at Jax Beach called Pier 7," says Durst. "And there Sam was on the stage with his band, killing it on the bass. And I went, 'Oh my gosh, this guy's amazing.' In my mind, you had to start with the rhythm section: the bass and the drums. And I didn't know who I was gonna meet first to put this idea together – I didn’t know if it'd be the drummer or the bass player – but it was the bass player.
"I saw Sam play, and I was blown away. He was playing a five-string bass, too. I’d never really seen someone using a five-string bass. And he was so smooth and good, and he stood out, and I could hear nothing else but Sam. Everything disappeared besides his gift.
"I went up to Sam after the show, and I said, 'Hey, man, you're unbelievable. I got this idea for this band I wanna do,' and kind of threw it out there and told him what I wanted it to be. And he looked at me and he says, 'Killer. I'm in. Let's do it!’ I was, like, 'Oh my God. Well, let's do it.' And uh, you know, that's kind of how things started to come together. I had a bass player."
Durst goes on to explain how West then introduced him to drummer John Otto, before revealing how the bassist's love of grunge bands like Mother Love Bone, Alice In Chains and Stone Temple Pilots directly influenced the music he brought to Limp Bizkit.
"He had this kind of ability to pull this beautiful sadness out of the bass that I’d never heard," says Durst. "I mean, he would play chords. He was just so talented. I can’t explain it."
"What he’s left us behind is priceless," Durst concludes. "Just an amazing, amazing person. And when I think back to how I met him and how all this kind of came together, Sam was the first guy, the first guy that really came in and helped make this dream come true.
"I’m super, super grateful, and I miss him terribly already. And all the support and love out there I’ve seen online, it’s overwhelming. He really did have an impact on the world, and his music and his gift is the one that’s gonna keep on giving. And I just love him so much."
