Seth Binzer A.K.A. Shifty Shellshock, Lead Singer of Crazy Town, Passes Away at 49, in Los Angeles

Seth Binzer, popularly known as Shifty Shellshock, lead singer of the band Crazy Town, passed away on Thursday. The 49-year-old singer died at his home in Los Angeles.

The cause of his death is still being investigated.

His rap-rock band achieved heights of popularity and climbed the Billboard charts due to the famed song Butterfly in 2001.

Binzer was open about his struggles with substance abuse. He appeared in two seasons of the VH1 series Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew in 2008 and spinoff series Sober House from 2009 to 2010.

In 2012, he was admitted to hospital after losing consciousness. Despite falling into a coma, he regained consciousness.

Shifty Shellshock was a creative child but often got into trouble, according to his mother and sister. He would often skate at Venice beach even during school hours with his friends. He eventually dropped out of high school to pursue music.

In a podcast with Brittany Furlan, in 2020, the singer revealed that he got into drug dealings and gangs after he dropped out of school.

Shifty met the co-founder of Crazy Town, Bret Mazur, also known as Epic, in 1995.

According to the band’s spotify biography, the idea to form the band came about, when they began writing letters to each other while they were in rehabilitation centers. The band was initially called Brimstone Sluggers, but by 1999 its moniker was changed to Crazy Town.

Rust Epique, James Bradley Jr. (aka JBJ), Doug Miller, Adam Goldstein (aka DJ AM), and Antonio Lorenzo became part of the growing band.

The group’s first album The Gift of Game released in November 1999 and shortly after that they supported the Red Hot Chilli Peppers on tour. They failed to evoke the same magic after their next album ‘Darkhorse’ was released and eventually Shifty embarked on a solo career.

He is survived by his three children Halo, Gage and Phoenix.