Cause of Death for ’90s Music Star, 49, Revealed
Crazy Town vocalist Seth Binzer (aka Shifty Shellshock) – Author: Scarlett Hunter, Photo via YouTube
It’s always a sad thing when a popular musician passes away, but it’s even more difficult when they pass away at a young age. Now, the cause of death for a ’90s musician who passed away at 49 years old has been revealed. Sadly, his death is tied to drug addiction and an overdose.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office has released the official cause of death for vocalist and music star Shifty Shellshock, whose real name was Seth Binzer. Fans knew Blizer as the frontman for the ’90s nu-metal band Crazy Town. He passed away in June at the age of 49, and he would have turned 50 in August.
Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office Reveals Cause of Death
In a statement sent on Tuesday (September 24), the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office wrote that “the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner determined the cause of death for 49-year-old singer-songwriter Seth Brooks Binzer as the effects of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine. The manner of death is accident.”
The statement continued, “Mr. Binzer was found unresponsive at a residence on June 24 and death was pronounced at 1213 hours. An examination was completed on June 25, and after the receipt of relevant test and study results, the cause and manner of death were certified on September 24.” According to the medical examiner’s statement, the full report will be released on October 11.
What the medical examiner’s report says confirms an earlier comment, in which Crazy Town’s manager told People Magazine that Binzer passed away of an accidental overdose.
“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,” Hubberman told People in June. “We all tried, but ultimately we all failed, or Shifty would still be here.”
Hubberman added, “The cause of death was a combination of prescription drugs and street purchased drugs. Shifty was a friend and really wanted to get himself fixed — unfortunately no one had the exact tools to do this, myself included.”
Crazy Town Hit it Big With ‘Butterfly’
Crazy Town released their debut album, “The Gift of Game,” in 1999. In addition to Binzer, the band featured musicians Rust Epique, James Bradley Jr., Doug Miller, Adam Goldstein and Antonio Lorenzo “Trouble” Valli. The third single off “The Gift of Game,” “Butterfly,” because a major hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was Crazy Town’s only hit, making them something of a one-hit wonder band. But, thanks to the success of “Butterfly,” “The Gift Of Game” sold 1.6 million copies worldwide and landed the band big tours, including Ozzfest.
In 2023, Crazy Town appeared on the “Nu Metal Madness Tour 2” with Hed PE and a variety of other ’90s rock bands. It wasn’t a smooth tour, thought, and Binzer got into a bloody fistfight with his bandmate Bobby Reeves after a show in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
“Because of what’s going on with Seth and Crazy Town right now — Seth needs help,” Hed PE said in a joint statement after the 2023 altercation. “We can’t just sit by while he’s on the road, battling demons to the death.”
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