Shifty Shellshock, lead singer of Crazy Town, has died at the age of 49.
The context
Shellshock, whose first name was Seth Binzer, died June 24, according to the Los Angeles medical examiner.
The singer was found at his home, but no cause of death has been released at this stage.
News week contacted the medical examiner and Shellshock representatives via email for comment.
What we know
Shellshock rose to fame in the early 2000s with Crazy Town whose biggest hit was “Butterfly”, which reached number one on music charts around the world, including the Billboard Hot 100.
Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images
The group released a follow-up album in 2002, but broke up shortly after its dismal commercial performance. Crazy Town reformed in 2007 and released their third album, The Brimstone Sluggers, in 2015.
Outside of Crazy Town, Shellshock had a hit with British producer Paul Oakenfold, including “Starry Eyed Surprise”.
The singer has long battled drug addiction and has appeared on various reality shows in order to combat his addiction, including Celebrity rehabilitation 1 And 2, And Sober House 1 And 2.
Shellshock has also had several run-ins with the law, including being sentenced to three years of probation in 2012 for battery and possession of crack cocaine.
“I would like to sincerely apologize to the parties involved…I feel very bad for those I offended and those who endured this situation,” Shellshock said. TMZ at the time.
He also admitted in a 2001 interview with Rolling stone that he had been arrested for shoplifting and had spent years using drugs, during which time he had also sold illegal substances.
In 2022, Shellshock was released with Punky Brewster star Sun Moon Frye. A few months after their separation, he was arrested in Los Angeles for drunk driving.
Shellshock is survived by three sons.
Views
Tributes quickly began pouring in for Shellshock once news of his death was revealed.
“Rest in peace, Shifty. Addiction is a real disaster. I was really hoping that sobriety would change things for you,” wrote @aaronsteele in the comments of one of Shellshock’s Instagram posts, which featured a photo of himself.
“RIP old friend… remember you as a kid riding a skateboard with the whole world in front of you… sending love to your family,” photographer Mike Azria wrote.
“This absolutely broke my heart… Damn, Seth why… you’ve been in my life since we were kids… damn, you just broke a lot of hearts… rest in peace, old friend, I love you, ” added @karimreese.
And @marioreyes82 commented: “Rip Seth. Thank you for sharing your art with the world, thank you for letting me sing these few times and most of all thank you for always being a friend. RIP.”
Shellshock’s final Instagram post showed an image of a person wearing a black balaclava and matching outfit looking at a camera, surrounded by a group of people wearing the same outfit, but white in color, looking straight ahead.
“To those who stay even when I try my best to scare them,” he captioned the post.
Updated 6/25/24, 5:45 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include additional information.
Updated 6/24/2024 at 6:22 a.m. ET: Title has been changed.
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