Crazy Town ‘Butterfly’ singer Shifty Shellshock’s official cause of death revealed: coroner
Crazy Town frontman Shifty Shellshock’s official cause of death has been revealed precisely three months after his passing.
The Post has confirmed with the Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office that the “Butterfly” singer died of an accidental overdose. Fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine were found in his system.
Shellshock — whose real name was Seth Binzer — passed away at a Los Angeles residence on June 24 at 49 years old.
Crazy Town’s manager, Howie Hubberman, confirmed his death. He was the first to reveal the musician had overdosed; however, the coroner’s office cited that additional testing was needed to determine the cause.
“Seth Binzer, after struggling with addiction and Crazy Town’s rapid success with ‘Butterfly,’ never was able to reach out on a more successful level to deal with his addictions,” Hubberman told People. “We all tried, but ultimately we all failed, or Shifty would still be here.”
Shellshock was open about his addiction battle, admitting to using cocaine and stimulants. His struggles were documented on Seasons 1 and 2 of “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.” He was also featured in the follow-up series “Sober House” in 2009 and 2010.
The star was survived by three children: Halo, Gage and Phoenix, whom he welcomed with three separate women and his family said were “his proudest accomplishments.”
Shellshock had dated “Punky Brewster” actress Soleil Moon Frye before his shock passing. She broke her silence on his death, sharing several photos of them together.
“My heart is whispering a million I love you’s for the way you loved my children and I so unconditionally,” Moon Frye wrote on June 30.
“I can still see your smiling sweet face in middle school when you kissed me in your tunnel of love and the way you swept me away again as we grew up to show me what that timeless kind of love feels like,” the actress continued. “No words could ever express the love we shared or how we are feeling right now. It is a language all its own.”
Shellshock’s family also released a statement.
“To Seth, the world was art—he loved every part of it, from music and fashion to graffiti, skateboarding and his hometown of Los Angeles,” his loved ones told the Sun. “He loved his three boys more than anything, and his dedication to his music and fans never wavered.”
They also addressed his struggles.
“God knows he tried so hard to beat his demons but sadly he lost his battle,” the statement continued. “Our hearts are shattered by his loss. Seth’s larger-than-life presence touched so many. Seth was a troubled soul but he was a beautiful one and he had a heart of gold.”
Shellshock and Bret “Epic” Mazur formed Crazy Town in 1995. In 2000, they released their hit single “Butterfly.” The song peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for two nonconsecutive weeks, launching the band into commercial success.
“Darkhorse,” their second album was released in 2002 and it flopped. The album contributed to Crazy Town’s breakup the following year. Shellshock and Mazur rebranded the group several times.
The singer had spoke about his substance issues as recently as March 2023, revealing he still had hopes for living a sober life.
“I think I was too wild to stick around for a long time,” Shellshock said about on an episode of “The Punk Rock MBA” podcast. “I managed to live through a lot of crazy s – – t, and got to the point where I was like, ‘I’d like to live.’”
“That’s a whole new way of live that you have to slowly teach yourself,” he continued. “To do it correctly, you’ve got to do more than just want it. Everyday now is just about finding inner peace and taking care of yourself.”
Less than one year before his death, Shellshock promised his bandmate Mike “Rebel” Raymo that he’d detox and get sober.
“I will do a three to five day chemical detox and then I will go to meetings and get outpatient and I will walk the walk, do the do and make you proud,” the late rocker told Raymo in a chilling voice recording published by Daily Mail.