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The official cause of death for singer Shifty Shellshock — whose real name was Seth Binzer — has been released by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office. The Crazy Town frontman died on June 24, 2024, at age 49.
In addition to his musical career, Binzer also starred on VH1 reality TV shows “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” and “Sober House,” according to IMDb. Metro dubbed him a “’90s music legend.”
In a statement on September 24, 2024, the LA County Medical Examiner’s office wrote that the death was caused by “the effects of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine. The manner of death is accident.”
According to the statement, “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.”
The full report will be available by October 11, the medical examiner’s statement says.
Crazy Town’s Manager Said Seth Binzer Struggled With Addiction & the Band’s ‘Rapid Success’
Crazy Town’s band manager told People in June that Binzer died 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,” Howie Hubberman told People. “We all tried, but ultimately we all failed, or Shifty would still be here.
“The cause of death was a combination of prescription drugs and street purchased drugs,” Hubberman told the outlet. “Shifty was a friend and really wanted to get himself fixed — unfortunately no one had the exact tools to do this, myself included.”
Shift Shellshock & His Band Had a Massive Hit With the Song ‘Butterfly’
According to Deadline, Binzer was a “nu-metal star” who founded “American rap-rock group Crazy Town in 1995 in L.A. with Bret ‘Epic’ Mazur.” The group’s song “Butterfly” “became one of the anthems of the 2000s,” the outlet reported.
According to Binzer’s IMDb profile, “Butterfly” was originally released on the November 1999 album “Gift of Game” and has been featured on the soundtracks of “Barbie” (2023), “Something’s Gotta Give” (2003), “Orange County” (2002) and “Saving Silverman” (2001). “Butterfly” has 249 million views on the band’s YouTube page.
However, the band never achieved that same level of success with future albums, according to Deadline.
A fan wrote on the “Butterfly” YouTube video’s comment thread, “You’ve transformed into a butterfly now, fly high. You’ll always be a part of our youth, this track was the summer of 2000. I remember hearing this gem everywhere I went.. a timeless banger! Rest In Peace Shifty.”
“R.l.P Seth Binzer, thank you for all the Happy memories and music. Rest in paradise brother,” another person wrote.
Drummer Brad Rice wrote on X after news broke of Shellshock’s official cause of death being released, “I didn’t realize that Shifty Shellshock (Seth Binzer of Crazy Town) passed away in June. Addiction is a heartbreaking soul crusher that really has no rhyme or reason, and for those of us who struggle with it we have to be vigilant FOREVER. I’m always here if anyone needs to talk.”
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