Crazy Town Vocalist Shifty Shellshock Has Died at 49
Crazy Town vocalist Shifty Shellshock is dead at the age of 49 – Story by Charles Ken, Crazy Town via YouTube
It’s super sad when someone passes away too soon. Now, we have another musician to report has passed away at too young an age. Crazy Town vocalist Shifty Shellshock is dead at the age of 49. He would have turned 50 in August.
Crazy Town Vocalist Shifty Shellshock Dead at 49
The news comes from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s web site, which states that Shellshock, who was born Seth Binzer, passed away at his home on Monday (June 24). They did not give a cause of death. Newsweek also states that Binzer was found dead in his home and that no cause of death has been determined at this time.
Crazy Town had some fame during the nu-metal boom of the late-1990s and early-2000s. The band’s biggest hit was the 1999 single “Butterfly,” which hit No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song made Crazy Town one of the biggest one-hit wonders of the era. The track sampled Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 1989 instrumental track “Pretty Little Ditty.” In turn, Crazy Town’s debut album, “The Gift Of Game,” sold 1.6 million copies. The band did some big tours and even appeared on Ozzfest.
Crazy Town broke up in 2003 but got back together in 2007 and released a new album in 2015 called “The Brimstone Sluggers.”
While Binzer’s death is surprising due to his age, it’s known that had long battled with substance abuse. He also made appearances on several reality TV shows trying to clean up, such as “Celebrity Rehab” and “Sober House.” In 2012, he was even taken to the hospital after losing consciousness due to drugs and went into a coma for a while. Thankfully, he came out of the coma. But, recently, he was arrested for a DUI. He also made news last year when he got into a bloody fistfight with his bandmate Bobby Reeves following a gig in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. So, last summer, it was pretty obvious that something was wrong.
In fact, the bands touring with Crazy Town also noticed that Seth needed help. At the time, they spoke out about both the fistfight and what was going on with the summer tour, which was pretty volatile. “Because of what’s going on with Seth and Crazy Town right now — Seth needs help. We can’t just sit by while he’s on the road, battling demons to the death. He needs to get off the road and deal with that shit. You’ve seen the video. If it was just a fistfight between band members, maybe I could be the first one to mediate that shit. But this is a lot deeper,” (hed)p.e. said in a statement when the incident happened.
Seth is survived by his three loving children, Halo, Gage and Phoenix. This is a developing story. It’s sad to see someone gone too soon, especially with how hard he’s fought against his demons. My thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.
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