Shifty Shellshock, the lead singer of the rap rock band Crazy Town, has died at the age of 49.
The Butterfly singer’s death was confirmed by the Los Angeles medical examiner after he was found unresponsive at his home on Monday (24 June).
The cause of death is currently unknown.
The musician, born Seth Binzer, opened up about his battle with substance abuse and shared an emotional post about his sobriety eight weeks ago, writing, “I’m a lover than a fighter …but the one I need to love more instead of fight with is myself .. Mr. Shifty true Love # Sober alive and grateful [sic].”
Shifty Shellshock, the lead singer of the rap rock band Crazy Town, has died at the age of 49
Image credits: Getty/Markus Cuff
In 2012, the star was admitted to hospital after losing consciousness and was in a coma before being released. That year, he was arrested for battery and cocaine possession, and he was sentenced to three years’ probation.
Prior to that, he had appeared on the VH1 shows Celebrity Rehab 1 and Celebrity Rehab 2 before participating in the follow-up series Sober House 1 and Sober House 2.
Binzer met the co-founder of Crazy Town, Bret “Epic” Mazur, in 1992, and the two first went by the name Brimstone Sluggers.
In 1999, they formed the rock group, and a year later, they were expected to tour as part of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne’s Ozzfest, but Binzer was arrested after he threw a chair out a window while intoxicated.
Eight weeks ago, the singer, born Seth Binzer, made a post about his battle with substance abuse, writing, “The one I need to love more instead of fight with is myself”
The band’s first album, The Gift Of Game, achieved great commercial success, selling more than two and a half million copies worldwide, thanks to the success of the single Butterfly. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard singles charts on March 24, 2001.
The band broke up after the commercial failure of their second album, Darkhorse, in 2002, but in 2007, they reunited to play live. In 2015, they released their third and final album, The Brimstone Sluggers.
In April 2023, Binzer was arrested for driving under the influence after failing a sobriety test
Image credits: Myrtle Beach Police Department
The band’s first album, The Gift Of Game, achieved great commercial success thanks to the single Butterfly
Fans lamented the news of the singer’s passing
Had the pleasure of seeing Shifty at an intimate gig, he had so much time for everyone there, a great front man 🖤 #crazytown #shiftyshellshock pic.twitter.com/CNe3Mva4vu
— Lou 💙 (@musicloverlou) June 25, 2024
RIP Shifty Shellshock from Crazy Town.
There’s no denying Butterfly was an absolute banger. 🦋 pic.twitter.com/st6xmWGosU
— 🄽🄸🄲🄺 (@ColossusNick) June 25, 2024
Deeply saddened by the news that Crazytown’s Shifty Shellshock passed away.
“Butterfly” is, unironically, one of my all-time favorite songs.
— Hodag RPG (@HODAGRPG) June 25, 2024
In April 2023, Binzer was arrested in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for driving under the influence. According to a police report obtained by TMZ, the California-born artist had swerved in and out of lanes in a black SUV before failing a sobriety test.
The mugshot that was made public following the incident showed the late singer looking completely unrecognizable from his days in Crazy Town.
A few days earlier, Binzer had been involved in a fistfight with his bandmate Bobby Reeves, an ex-vocalist of Adema who replaced Epic, outside a venue in Myrtle Beach.
He is survived by three children: a son named Halo, whom he had with Melissa Clark, another son named Gage, whom he shared with a woman named Tracy, and a third boy named Phoenix, whom Binzer welcomed with Jasmine Lennard.
“Rest in peace. You made our childhood special,” a fan wrote
