Crazy Town singer Shifty Shellshock’s cause of death has been revealed – three months after his tragic death aged 49.
The Butterfly hitmaker – real name Seth Brooks Binzer – was found unresponsive at a Koreatown, Los Angeles residence on June 24 2023 – and was later pronounced dead.
The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner determined the cause of death for the star as the effects of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine. The manner of death is accidental.
Binzer was always open about his struggles with sobriety and even appeared on the reality TV show Celebrity Rehab for the show’s first two seasons in 2008.
The star’s manager Howie Hubberman told DailyMail.com that he ‘wasn’t surprised at all’ by the cause of death.
Crazy Town singer Shifty Shellshock’s cause of death has been revealed – three months after his tragic death aged 49 – pictured 2004
Binzer (center) with Crazy Town bandmates. Their debut album, ‘The Gift of Game,’ was released in November 1999 and took off after they released ‘Butterfly’ as the third single, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two non-consecutive weeks and became the band’s biggest hit
He said: ‘He was combining street drugs with anything that he could get, and some of them were prescription too, like methamphetamines.
‘He had gone through detox so many times and rehab so many times. It was just the system was not set up to help a guy like him, period.
‘He had two or three prescriptions that he was able to fill at all times as long as he had the money. And then he would grab anything off the street he could get.’
Hubberman said one of the prescriptions Binzer would fill regularly was Adderall.
Binzer is survived by three sons from three relationships.
He shared his eldest son, Halo, with ex-wife Melissa Binzer. The pair married in 2002, but Melissa filed for divorce in 2011 after the couple had been separated for six years.
He later dated Tracy Shelor, whom he welcomed son Gage, who is now 15.
Binzer began a relationship with model Jasmine Lennard in 2010 and the pair share son Phoenix, 14. Their relationship ended after his arrest in 2012.
In June 2023, a police mugshot of Seth went viral after the star was seen looking completely unrecognizable from his days in the band.
He was arrested in Myrle Beach, South Carolina, for driving under the influence of alcohol in April 2023.
He looked worlds away from his days as a fresh-faced punk rocker as he stood for his mugshot after failing a sobriety test.
Once known for his boyish good looks and edgy aesthetic, Seth appeared drawn and scruffy in the image.
A police report obtained by TMZ stated local cops pulled over Seth after he was spotted swerving in and out of lanes in a black SUV.
Seth reportedly appeared lethargic and was slurring his words before failing a sobriety test.
The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner determined the cause of death for the star as the effects of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine. The manner of death is accidental – Seth seen in an Instagram post from January
In June 2023, a police mugshot of Seth went viral after the star was seen looking completely unrecognizable from his days in the band
Seth and Epic Mazur (R) performing at the Nova Rock 2014 Festival in Nickelsdorf, Austria
The incident came just a week after Seth and his Crazy Town bandmate Bobby Reeves were involved in a fistfight with one another following a concert in Myrtle Beach.
The row between the musicians sprouted from ire that the group’s lead singer Shellshock was not present until the end of the show, TMZ reported at the time.
Co-vocalist Bobby sang in his place, delivering a performance filled with gaffes and angry words for Seth, as seen in a clip posted by a TikTok user.
Seth eventually made his way to the concert, and was seen in the social media clip engaging in a heated discussion with Bobby, who was later seen sporting a black eye.
In a clip published by TMZ, the band members were seen backstage arguing over money and repeatedly getting physical with one another, with Bobby making threats toward members of Seth’s family.
‘I think you’re a b**** a** motherf*****, homeboy,’ Bobby told Seth in the clip.
The exchange was finally broken up after Bobby hit Seth and the pair were on the ground scuffling.
Insiders with the band told the outlet that the exchange was a ‘fight between brothers,’ and that the pair have since reconciled.
Back in 2012, Seth apologized to his friends and family for the embarrassment he caused them after he was sentenced for possessing drugs and attacking his girlfriend.
He was sentenced to three years probation after entering a no contest plea to both counts in court.
Seth first met co-frontman Bret Mazur, in 1992, and they first went by the name Brimstone Sluggers.
Seth pictured with his wife Melissa Clark at Avalon in Hollywood in 2003. The pair married in 2002 and share one son together. She filed for divorce in 2011 but the couple had already been separated for six years
In 1999, they formed Crazy Town, and a year later they were due to tour as part of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne’s Ozzfest, but Binzer was arrested after he threw a chair out a window while intoxicated.
Released in 2000, noughties classic Butterfly topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks and was number one in several other countries including Austria, Denmark, and Norway.
It samples Pretty Little Ditty from the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 1989 album Mother’s Milk, so the group are credited as songwriters.
Their debut album, The Gift of Game, sold more than 1.5 million copies.
However, after their 2002 follow-up Darkhorse was a flop, they parted ways.
They reformed in 2007 and were back on stage in 2009. Their third album, The Brimstone Sluggers, followed in 2015.
In January 2017, Mazur – who was nicknamed Epic – announced his departure from the band, with Rick Dixon, Nick Diiorio and Kevin Kapler also quitting that April.
Back in 2012, Seth was admitted to hospital after losing consciousness and had been in a coma before being released (Pictured in 2003)
Binzer also had a solo career and joined forces with British producer and musician Paul Oakenfold to supply the vocals for his 2002 hit Starry Eyed Surprise.
His debut solo album, Happy Love Sick, was released in 2004.
He also formed Shifty and The Big Shots in 2010.
Binzer was often in trouble with the law, with crimes including attempted burglary and selling and using recreational drugs.
In 2022, he started romancing his childhood friend, Punky Brewster actress Soleil Moon Frye, 47, when he was arrested for driving under the influence in Los Angeles.
