Crazy Town Frontman Shifty Shellshock Dead at 49
Shifty Shellshock, frontman for the band Crazy Town, has died at age 49.
Shellshock, who was born Seth Binzer, was found dead at his home on Monday, June 24, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s website. A cause of death was not given.
"Seth Binzer was a courageous fighter," a rep for Shellshock told Us Weekly on Tuesday, June 25. "So full of talent, light, compassion, love and grace. He will be missed by so many. He was one of those souls that was magnetic. We will miss you, Seth. Thank you for your talents and contributions to our music industry. We were all blessed to have had you."
Shellshock cofounded rap rock band Crazy Town with Bret “Epic” Mazur in 1995. The group’s 2000 single “Butterfly” catapulted the group to fame and became their biggest hit, peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also helped their debut album, The Gift of Game, climb to No. 9 on the Billboard 200 more than a year after its release.
Crazy Town released their second album, Darkhorse, in 2002 but broke up after the album failed to reach the heights of The Gift of Game. Two years later, Shellshock released his debut solo album, Happy Love Sick. The band later reformed and released their third album, The Brimstone Sluggers, in 2015.
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Throughout his career, Shellshock was open about his struggles with substance abuse, appearing on two seasons of VH1’s Celebrity Rehab and two seasons of the follow-up series Sober House.
In 2012, Shellshock was sentenced to three years probation for battery and possession of crack cocaine. “I would like to sincerely apologize to the parties involved,” he told TMZ at the time. “I feel very bad for those who I have offended and those who have endured this situation.”
A rep for the singer, meanwhile, said he would be entering rehab. “Seth has completely changed his life around and has checked into a highly regarded drug and alcohol treatment center where he will be working with them to restructure his life over the next two years,” the spokesperson said.
Crazy Town was previously rocked by tragedy in 2009 when the band’s former turntablist DJ AM (born Adam Goldstein) died of an accidental drug overdose at age 36. Goldstein was a member of the band from 1999 to 2001. In 2008, he and Travis Barker were the only two survivors of a plane crash that killed the other four people on board.
