Shifty Shellshock, Crazy Town Frontman, Dead at 49

The singer founded Crazy Town with Bret 'Epic' Mazur in 1995 and sang on the group's chart-topping single 'Butterfly.'

By Allison Schonter

Shifty Shellshock, the lead singer of the rap-rock band Crazy Town, has died. Shellshock, born Seth Binzer, passed away at a Los Angeles residence on Monday, June 24, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's website. He was 49. A cause of death was not disclosed.

After meeting Bret "Epic" Mazur in 1992, Shellshock and Mauzer founded an early version of Crazy Town titled The Brimstone Sluggers in Los Angeles in 1995. By 1999, per Variety, the group's moniker had changed to Crazy Town and the band consisted of the co-founding duo, Rust Epique, James Bradley Jr. (aka JBJ), Doug Miller, Adam Goldstein (aka DJ AM), and Antonio Lorenzo "Trouble" Valli.

DOWNLOAD Festival 2014 – Day 3
(Photo:

DONNINGTON, UNITED KINGDOM – JUNE 15: Seth Binzer of Crazy Town performs on stage at Download Festival at Donnington Park on June 15, 2014 in Donnington, United Kingdom. (Photo by Gary Wolstenholme/Redferns via Getty Images)

- Gary Wolstenholme/Redferns via Getty Images)

That same year, the band not only supported the Red Hot Chili Peppers on tour, but also released their debut album, The Gift of Game, in November. That album went on to 1.6 million units, per USA Today, and helped launched Crazy Town onto the scene with the release of their third single, "Butterfly," in 2000. The song, featuring its signature "come my lady" chorus refrain on repeat and sampling the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Pretty Little Ditty," reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two non-consecutive weeks. It was also played in the opening sequence of the Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton-starring movie Something's Gotta Give.

Following on the heels of The Gift of Game's success, Crazy Town released their second album, Darkhorse, in 2002. The album failed to reach the same success as the first, and the group disbanded in 2003. Shellshock went on to pursue a solo career, collaborating with Paul Oakenfold on his 2002 hit "Starry Eyed Surprise" and releasing his debut solo album, Happy Love Sick, in 2004. Three years later, in 2007, the singer and Mazur reformed Crazy Town. The group released a third album, The Brimstone Sluggers, in 2015. After Mazur left the band in 2017, Shellshock changed the name of the band to Crazy Town X.

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Throughout his career, Shellshock notably struggled with addiction, something he was open about. He appeared on the VH1 reality series Celebrity Rehab Season 1 for cocaine addiction in 2008, returning for Season 2 after producer and star Dr. Drew Pinsky learned of his relapse. He also appeared on the spinoff Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House Season 1 in 2009 and Season 2 in 2010. In 2012, he was admitted to the hospital after losing consciousness. In 2022, he was arrested for a DUI.

News of his passing sparked a wave of tributes, with one person writing on Shellshock's final Instagram post on April 28, "rest in peace man, I hope you're finally at peace. thank you for the music." Shellshock is survived by his three children, Halo, Gage and Phoenix.

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