Crazy Town’s Shifty Shellshock dead at 49

Posted On June 25, 2024June 25, 2024

Shifty Shellshock, singer with the rap-rock group Crazy Town, has passed away aged 49.

At the time, no cause of death has been provided. The frontman who rose to prominence in the early 2000s, real name Seth Binzer, died on June 24th at his home, according to documents publicly released by the Los Angeles medical examiner.

Crazy Town were formed in 1995, and in 2000 they burst into the mainstream with their break-out single, ‘Butterfly’. The track, which has been streamed more than 400 million times on Spotify alone, topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, as well as landing in pole position in various other territories such as Denmark, Germany, Greece and Norway.

As a result of the success of ‘Butterfly’, their debut album also charted in ninth position in the United Status, and later went Platinum, selling over a million units. However, Crazy Town were unable to capitalise upon their early mainstream hits, and their second album, 2002’s Darkhorse, was a commercial failure.

Following the setback of their sophomore effort, Crazy Town disbanded before eventually reuniting almost a decade later. Belatedly, their third and final album, The Brimstone Sluggers, arrived in 2015, with several original band members then leaving the group.

Binzer continued to tour with a new incarnation of Crazy Town, called Crazy Town X. Outside of the band, he also embarked upon a solo career, and most notably collaborated with the legendary Paul Oakenfold on ‘Starry Eyed Surprise’, which was a hit in the United Kingdom.

The late singer also struggled with addiction problems, and in attempts to get clean, he appeared on the reality programmes Celebrity Rehab and Sober House.

Last year, Crazy Town were kicked off a tour with Hed PE following an on-stage altercation with Binzer and his bandmate Bobby Reeves. At a show in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Binzer only arrived at the concert towards the end and attacked Reeves. He was later arrested for DUI following the incident.

Hed PE frontman Jared Gomes said of the decision to remove Crazy Town from the tour, “Seth needs help … we can’t just sit by while he’s on the road battling demons to the death.”

Binzer is survived by his three children. No official statement has yet been released by his family or Crazy Town regarding his passing.

This is a developing story.

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