He was a prominent figure in the rap-rock scene of the 2000s, famously releasing a chart-topping song that held the number one position for two weeks. Now, at 53 years old, this music star looks drastically different, sporting a bushy silver beard and a more mature face.
Back in 2001, when his hit song soared to the top of the charts, his distinctive goatee and backwards cap were as iconic as his band’s explicit lyrics. Other notable hits from the band included “My Way” and “Nookie,” while their best-selling album, “Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water,” sold over a million copies.
The band, founded in Florida in 1995, comprises bassist Sam Rivers, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, and DJ Lethal. Can you guess who this artist is? It’s Fred Durst from Limp Bizkit, known for his powerful vocals on hits like “Rollin’.”
Fred Durst recently performed at the Download Festival, looking vastly different from his early days of fame. He thrilled fans by delivering some of the band’s biggest hits, still wearing a hat but this time opting for a pale blue bucket hat instead of his trademark backwards baseball cap. He paired the hat with a striped baseball shirt and white trousers.
Limp Bizkit attempted a comeback in 2005 with “The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1),” but it failed to recapture their former glory, leading the band to take a hiatus. Since then, they have continued to tour sporadically and perform at various festivals. In 2021, they released an album titled “Still Sucks,” hinting at a return to their musical roots.
In 2022, Fred Durst secretly married Arles, a much younger woman, in Los Angeles. The couple’s relationship was first made public when Arles joined Fred onstage at a concert at Mohegan Sun Arena in Pennsylvania. She wore an orange hoodie and blue jeans, and the pair slow danced to George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” before the band launched into their 1999 hit “Nookie.”
Arles is now the stepmother to Fred’s daughter Adriana, 34, from his first marriage to Rachel Tergesen, which ended in 1993, and his son Dallas, 23, from a brief relationship with Jennifer Thayer in 2000. Fred’s third marriage to Crimean make-up artist Kseniya Beryazina ended in 2019 after six years, during which he faced a scandal that resulted in a five-year ban from Ukraine.
In 2015, Durst made headlines by reportedly appealing for a Russian passport and praising President Vladimir Putin as “a great guy with clear moral principles and a nice person.” Besides his music career, Fred has directed several films, including “The Education of Charlie Banks” and “The Longshots.”
Five years ago, he directed the film “The Fanatic,” starring John Travolta, which marked another venture into the film industry. Despite the changes in his appearance and personal life, Fred Durst remains an influential figure in the music and entertainment world.