It's a sad day for music fans as Shifty Shellshock has died. Shellshock, whose real name was Seth Binzer, was the frontman for the band Crazy Town. It's likely even if you didn't know the band well, then you were well aware of their 2000s hit "Butterfly." That song ended up finding pop culture success, making it an iconic hit from the early 2000s.
According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's website, Shellshock passed away at his home on Monday. At this time, police haven't revealed a cause of death.
Shellshock's legacy is forever tied to Crazy Town's. He co-founded the band in 1992 with Bret Mazur. At first, they performed under the name Brimstone Sluggers, but they changed the name in 1999. Shellshock added several members to the group including Rust Epique, James Bradley Jr. (aka JBJ), Doug Miller, Adam Goldstein (aka DJ AM) and Antonio Lorenzo "Trouble" Valli. The band dropped their first album in 1999 called The Gift of Game.
However, they struck gold when they dropped "Butterfly" as a single. Sampling the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Pretty Little Ditty," the song featured Shellshock as lead. Lyrics included "Come my lady, come-come my lady, You're my butterfly, sugar baby." It landed at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two non-consecutive weeks. Check it out in all of its glory below.
Fans Mourn Shifty Shellshock
Shellshock and Crazy town followed up their debut in 2002, but they didn't find the same success. They later broke up with the musician pursuing a solo career. However, Shellshock never reached the same heights that he would find in his first album. over the past few years, the artist struggled with addiction, appearing on two seasons of Celebrity Rehab as well as Sober House. In 2012, he became hospitalized and fell into a coma but recovered. In 2022, police arrested him for a DUI. He had three children.
In response to his death, several fans took to social media to mourn the artist. One wrote, "Oh my, what a Starry Eyed Surprise... .........too soon?" Another wrote, "I'm a big fan of Crazytown's first two albums. Loved Butterfly. Loved Shifty's solo album. Dude looked absolutely horrible last time I saw him. Drugs took their toll. Shame. RIP Seth." Yet another wrote, "Thanks for the memories shifty shellshock go and be free."
More expressed their sadness with one writing, "Really unfortunate news to hear about Shifty Shellshock. I always liked Crazy Town's first album, and obviously the 'Butterfly' song."
