Shifty Shellshock, the frontman of the rap rock band Crazy Town, has died at the age of 49. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s website, Shellshock, whose real name was Seth Binzer, died on Monday. The singer, who had struggled with addiction for years, died at his home in Los Angeles.
The cause of death has not yet been confirmed and more details are awaited. In 2012, Seth, who had struggled with substance abuse over the years, was hospitalized after losing consciousness and had been in a coma before being released. Fans responded to Shellshock’s death in the comments section of his pinned Instagram post from April 28.
Death of a Star
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Shellshock recently opened up about getting sober and his internal struggles. He wrote on Instagram a few weeks ago: “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).”
Shellshock struggled with drug addiction for many years and appeared on the reality TV series Celebrity Rehab 1 and 2, as well as Sober House 1 and 2.
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He is survived by three sons from previous relationships.
Seth shares one son, Halo, with his first wife Melissa Clark. They married in 2002, but Melissa filed for divorce in 2011 after six years of separation.
He later dated a woman named Tracy, with whom he welcomed a son, Gage.
Shellshock later began a relationship with Jasmine Lennard in 2010, and they have a son named Phoenix. Their relationship ended after his arrest in 2012.
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Tributes from fans have poured in on Twitter, expressing their sadness after the announcement of his sudden death. “I am absolutely devastated,” one fan wrote.
“Rest in power, Shifty. Addiction is f–ked up. I was really hoping sobriety was going to turn things around for you,” another person wrote.
“Seth, man. RIP my brother,” another comment read.
A fourth comment read, “RIP. I hope you have finally found some peace.”
Hero in His Own Right
Crazy Town was formed in 1995 by Shellshock and fellow rapper Bret “Epic” Mazur. Other members included DJ Rick One, Mark White, Adam Bravin, Charles Lopez, and others. The group gained fame with their 2000 single “Butterfly.”
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The song reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for two nonconsecutive weeks.
After their second album failed to perform well, Crazy Town disbanded in 2003. However, they reunited four years later and released their third album, “The Brimstone Sluggers,” in 2015.
In 2017, Shellshock renamed the band Crazy Town X.
Shellshock was candid about his lifelong struggles with addiction. He appeared on “Celebrity Rehab” twice and also featured on its follow-up show, “Sober House,” two times.
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In 2012, he was reportedly arrested for battery and possession of cocaine. According to Variety, that same year he was admitted to the hospital after losing consciousness and fell into a coma before recovering.
The rapper was arrested for a DUI in Los Angeles in 2022. He received another DUI in Myrtle Beach in April 2023, according to TMZ.
During the latter incident, Shellshock allegedly drove drunk after getting into a fistfight with a bandmate. When he was pulled over, Shellshock was reportedly lethargic, slurred his words, and failed a field sobriety test.
