Crazy Town’s Shifty Shellshock dead at 49: Lead singer – who battled with substance abuse over the years – passes away

Crazy Town’s Shifty Shellshock has died aged 49.

The Butterfly hitmaker – whose birth name was Seth Binzer – is recorded to have passed away on June 24, according to the Los Angeles medical examiner.

No cause of death is known currently.

Back in 2012, Seth- who battled with substance abuse over the years – was admitted to hospital after losing consciousness and had been in a coma before being released.

The musician recently opened about getting sober and his battle with himself.

No cause of death is known currently

He wrote on Instagram eight weeks ago: ‘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)’

Seth struggled with drug addiction for many years and appeared on the reality television series Celebrity Rehab 1 and 2 and Sober House 1 and 2.

Last June a police mugshot of Seth went viral after the star was seen looking completely unrecognisable from his days the band. 

Seth was arrested in Myrle Beach, South Carolina, for driving under the influence of alcohol last April. 

He looked world’s away from his days as fresh-faced punk rocker as he stood for his mugshot after failing a sobriety test. 

Once known for his boyish good looks and edgy aesthetic, Seth appeared drawn and scruffy in the image. 

While his famous labrette piercing still remains, his face has been transformed with sprawling tattoos over the years. 

A police report obtained by TMZ states local cops pulled over Seth after he was spotted swerving in and out of lanes in a black SUV.

Back in 2012, Seth- who battled with substance abuse over the years – was admitted to hospital after losing consciousness and had been in a coma before being released (Pictured in 2003) 

Seth was arrested in Myrle Beach, South Carolina, for driving under the influence of alcohol on last April 2023 (Pictured in 2001) 

Seth, whose battle with addiction is well documented, reportedly appeared lethargic and was slurring his words before failing a sobriety test. 

The incident came just a week after Seth and his Crazy Town bandmate Bobby Reeves were involved in a fistfight with one another following a concert in Myrtle Beach. 

The row between the musicians sprouted from ire that the group’s lead singer  Shellshock was not present until the end of the show, TMZ reported at the time. 

Co-vocalist Reeves sang in place of absent Binzer, delivering a performance filled with gaffes and angry words for Binzer, as seen in a clip posted by a TikTok user.

Set eventually made his way to the concert, and was seen in the social media clip engaging in a heated discussion with Reeves, who was later seen sporting a black eye.

In a clip published by TMZ, the band members were seen backstage arguing over money and repeatedly getting physical with one another, with Reeves making threats toward members of Binzer’s family.

‘I think you’re a b**** a** motherf*****, homeboy,’ Reeves told Binzer in the clip.

The exchange was finally broken up after Reeves hit Binzer and the pair were on the ground scuffling.

Insiders with the band told the outlet that the exchange was a ‘fight between brothers,’ and that the pair have since reconciled.

Reeves confirmed as such in a clip he posted to Instagram, showing off his black eye in the wake of the conflict. 

‘Me and Shifty got into a little scuffle but its all good, we’re brothers,’ Reeves said. ‘Love you all, love you Shifty too.’ 

Seth first met co-frontman Bret Mazur, in 1992, and they first went by the name Brimstone Sluggers.

In 1999, they formed Crazy Town, and a year later they were due 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.

Released in 2000, noughties classic Butterfly topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks and was number one in several other countries including Austria, Denmark, and Norway.

It samples Pretty Little Ditty from the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 1989 album Mother’s Milk, so the group are credited as songwriters.

Their debut album, The Gift of Game, sold more than 1.5 million copies.

However, after their 2002 follow-up Darkhorse was a flop, they parted ways.

They reformed in 2007 and were back on stage in 2009. Their third album, The Brimstone Sluggers, followed in 2015.

In January 2017, Mazur – who was nicknamed Epic – announced his departure from the band, with Rick Dixon, Nick Diiorio and Kevin Kapler also quitting that April. 

CrazyTown rocketed to fame following the release of their 1999 album The Gift of Game (pictured)

Binzer then added an ‘X’ next to the band’s name, because it’s ‘used by gangs to symbolise a territory that has just been won’.

In November 2019, Crazy Town’s tour van crashed into a moose in Ontario, Canada, with members, including Binzer, treated for bruises and cuts at the hospital.

Crazy Town – Binzer, DJ Rick One and Mark White – last toured in 2023 with Hed PE, the shows went ahead despite a bloody fight between Binzer and the group’s vocalist Bobby Reeves outside a venue in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Binzer also had a solo career and joined forces with British producer and musician Paul Oakenfold to supply the vocals for his 2002 hit Starry Eyed Surprise.

His debut solo album, Happy Love Sick, was released in 2004.

He also formed Shifty and The Big Shots in 2010.

Binzer was often in trouble with the law, with crimes including attempted burglary and selling and using recreational drugs.

He has two children, a son named Halo, from his marriage to Melissa Clark. And a son with a woman named Tracy called Gage.

Binzer was in a relationship with Jasmine Lennard in 2010, but police were called to a domestic disturbance between the pair the following year.

In 2022, he started romancing his childhood friend, Punky Brewster actress Soleil Moon Frye, 47, when he was arrested for driving under the influence in Los Angeles.