Details emerge on the cause of death for Crazy Town’s Shifty Shellshock

Seth “Shifty Shellshock” Binzer, the late Crazy Town vocalist, had an official cause of death determined. From the middle of the 1990s through the band’s platinum-certified heyday in the early 2000s until his death in June of this year, Binzer co-fronted the group. The 49-year-old Binzer, who had openly battled drug addiction throughout his career, reportedly died from a lethal mix of cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl. This Monday, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner issued a revised ruling regarding his cause of death, characterizing the overdose as unintentional. His manager, Howie Huberman, had already suggested the now-confirmed cause of his death. Binzer was found deceased at his Los Angeles, CA apartment on June 24th of this year. Because of his appearances on television programs focused on addiction recovery and a string of bizarre episodes, Binzer’s protracted fight with addiction frequently took place in public view. His final year with Crazy Town was tragically marred by personal issues, including a violent altercation with Bobby Reeves, his former bandmate, backstage in April of this year. The band was kicked off the “Nu Metal Madness Tour 2” after what appeared to be a drug-related incident. At the time, headliners (hed)p.e.‘s Jared Gomes expressed worry for Binzer.

(hed)p.e. had to kick Crazy Town off the tour. We’re not saints by any means and (hed)p.e. has done some crazy shit, and I’m not passing judgment on Crazy Town, or Seth [Binzer, aka Shifty Shellshock] or anything like that. But whatever has gone on with us we’ve always tried to come with a good rock show. Because of what’s going on with Seth and Crazy Town right now, Seth needs help. We can’t just sit by while he’s on the road battling demons to the death. He needs to get off the road and deal with that shit. So, you’ve seen the video. If it was just a fist fight between band members, maybe I could be the first one to kinda of mediate or some shit like that. But this is a lot deeper than that. It’s a lot messier, so it’s definitely sad for us you know. Because I consider Seth a homie, but [we] just couldn’t keep it going. And (hed)p.e. doesn’t support the shit that’s gone on and the shit that’s been done or been said by Crazy Town. Jared Gomes

Unfortunately, Binzer didn’t seem to take the experience as a lesson, as he was arrested for DUI on the same day that his band was removed off the schedule. A few weeks later, Binzer released a joint song with We Are Pigs called “Faded,” in which he candidly talked about his struggles with addiction. In the weeks following the aforementioned tour ejection, Crazy Town would make a comeback to the stage with a reorganized band, fronted by Binzer, before his tragic passing.