Shifty Shellshock lead singer of Crazy Town dies at 49
Topics: Music, Los Angeles, Health
Emily Brown
Featured Image Credit: Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Rockefellas Studio/Markus Cuff/Corbis via Getty Images
Topics: Music, Los Angeles, Health
Shifty Shellshock, the lead singer of the rock band Crazy Town, has died at the age of 49.
News of Shellshock's death was confirmed by the Los Angeles medical examiner after he was found dead at his home in LA on Monday (24 June).
No cause of death has been given at the time of writing (25 June ).
Advert
Shellshock, whose birth name was Seth Binzer, co-founded Crazy Town in 1999 after meeting his fellow frontman, Bret Mazur, a few years earlier.
Over the years, the band released hits including 'Butterfly', which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks.
Though their debut album, The Gift of Game, sold more than 1.5 million copies, the group parted ways after their 2002 follow-up, Darkhorse.
They later got back together and released their third album, The Brimstone Sluggers, in 2015.
Bizner also spent time as a solo artist over the years, and previously worked with British producer and musician Paul Oakenfold to sing the vocals for his 2002 song 'Starry Eyed Surprise'.
In 2004, Bizner released an album of his own called Happy Love Sick.
Fans have taken to social media to share their surprise and pay tribute to Shellshock following the news of his death.
"RIP Shifty Shellshock from Crazy Town. There’s no denying Butterfly was an absolute banger," one fan wrote.
"Looks like Shifty Shellshock from Crazy Town passed away last night. Sad. Condolences to his family," added another.
A third fan commented: "Deeply saddened by the news that Crazytown's Shifty Shellshock passed away. "Butterfly" is, unironically, one of my all-time favorite songs."
Shellshock had previously been open with fans about his experiences with substance abuse, having been admitted to hospital and going into a coma in 2012.
He remained in the public eye as he sought to get sober, appearing on reality shows such as Celebrity Rehab 1 and 2 as well as Sober House 1and 2.
Eight weeks ago, Shellshock wrote a post about his sobriety on Instagram, writing: "‘I’m a lover than a fighter …but the one I need to love more Instead of fight with is myself .. mr shifty true Love # Sober alive and grateful (sic)."
Underneath a photo of Shellshock on Instagram, one person who described themselves as a fan of the singer commented: "RIP old friend… remember you best as a kid in a skateboard with the entire world in front of you… sending love to your family."