Crazy Town’s manager confirms Shifty Shellshock died of drug overdose

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The manager for Butterfly rockers Crazy Town has confirmed that the band’s frontman Shifty Shellshock died as a result of a drug overdose.

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“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,” Howie Hubberman told PEOPLE. “We all tried, but ultimately we all failed, or Shifty would still be here.”

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner shared the news on its website earlier this week, noting that the musician, whose real name is Seth Binzer, was found dead at his Los Angeles home on Monday.

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“The cause of death was a combination of prescription drugs and street purchased drugs,” Hubberman continued. “Shifty was a friend and really wanted to get himself fixed — unfortunately no one had the exact tools to do this, myself included.”

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Crazy Town’s platinum-selling debut album, The Gift of the Game, was released in 1999 with Butterfly, which sampled the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Pretty Little Ditty, leading to the band’s breakout the following year. On the track, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Shellshock rapped the memorable lyrics “Come my lady, come-come my lady, You’re my butterfly, sugar baby.”

After Crazy Town’s 2002 sophomore LP, Darkhorse, flopped, the band broke up. According to Variety, Shellshock had modest success as a solo artist, working with DJ Paul Oakenfold on Starry Eyed Surprise, which peaked at No. 41 on the charts, and his first solo album, Happy Love Sick, which was a minor hit in Europe after its release in 2004.

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Crazy Town got back together in 2007 and released their final LP in 2015, The Brimstone Sluggers, which failed to make an impact on the charts.

In 2017, after co-founder Bret “Epic” Mazur exited the band for good, Shellshock changed the name of the group to Crazy Town X.

Shellshock appeared on several reality shows that spotlighted his struggles with substance abuse, including two seasons of VH1’s Celebrity Rehab and Sober House. In 2012, TMZ reported that he was arrested for roughing up his girlfriend at a Ross Dress For Less department store. During that same incident, he was also charged with drug possession.

Binzer was also hospitalized in 2012 after falling into a coma, according to Variety.

After his recovery, he pledged he was turning his life around. “I’m good. I’m clean. I’m happy,” he told TMZ.

But a year later, Shellshock’s ex Jasmine Lennard accused him of smoking crack in their kid’s bedroom. 

In 2023, Shellshock made headlines again when he was caught brawling on video with a fellow bandmate Bobby Reeves and was arrested again for driving under the influence. 

According to Variety, Shellshock is survived by his three children, Halo, Gage and Phoenix.

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